Not What It Looks Like
by El Padfoot
Summary: Lily Evans and James Potter are caught in a compromising position on camera. When the picture is threatened to be published and given to every student and professor on campus, Lily, James, and the gang conduct a frenzied search around Hogwarts hoping to catch the culprit before the pictures are published and their reputations are ruined.
1. Prelude

Disclaimer: None of the characters or places are mine. They all belong to the great JK Rowling

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James and Lily stood facing each other, both faces furrowing with concentration one late Friday night. It was past midnight; that, they were sure of, but how much _later_ exactly, they couldn't tell. Everyone else in the castle was asleep, except Mrs. Norris, but she didn't count because that cat was _always_ awake. The two heads knew it was prohibited—being out of bed at this hour. Merlin knew what a bad example it would set to the younger students and pretty much the entire school if word of it got out, but they didn't really worry about getting caught. They _were_ head boy and girl, after all, so what was the worst that could happen? Besides, there was little to worry about when a Marauder was there. James knew everything there was to know about rule breaking and being in places you shouldn't be, so they weren't _really_ in danger of being found out.

That was how it was on some nights when both of them couldn't sleep; one would go down to the common room, find the other, and they would keep each other company until such time that both were tired enough to get some sleep done. Today, they were playing muggle games.

"Ha! I won!"

"No! You have to jump forward and _step _on my foot. Not _kick_ it," Lily replied matter-of-factly, as she skipped towards her left, narrowly missing James. "Your turn."

"Why do muggle games have to be so bloody _complicated_? What's the difference between stepping and kicking?" James complained, frustrated that he was losing the match. He took a step backwards, deciding it was better to be on the defensive than to take a risk and go offensive.

"It's _all_ the difference! This isn't complicated at all. If you can be an ace in Quidditch, I can't see how you _can't_—"

"Quidditch is different. Quidditch is easy. All Chasers have to do is to pass the Quaffles to each other, score some goals, avoid all the bludgers, and—"

"Stop with the Quidditch talk. You're giving me a headache already." She laughed.

"Lily, I am _very_ hurt that _someone _could _not_ like to talk about Quidditch. Even more hurt because that someone is _you_," James said, clutching his chest dramatically and feigning agony.

"Ha! I got you cornered!"

"Hey! That wasn't fair. I was talking! Hey! What-?"

Lily lunged forward, closing the distance between them; successfully stepping on his toes and winning the match.

"YES!" she shouted, so excited, that she lost her balance; landing squarely on James' chest, as they both crashed on the floor, Lily on top of him.

They laughed at the same time; then, realizing how awkward and compromising the position was, immediately stood up and pretended it was nothing as both of them tried to hide their blushes.

James recovered first.

"Well, good thing nobody saw _that_. Nobody'd _believe_ us if we told them it was just a friendly muggle game, even if it was," He stammered, suddenly uncomfortable.

"Yeah… I mean, they would be getting the wrong idea, and… that would have been _very_ embarrassing," She replied, just as awkwardly.

"Well, I think that's enough for today. That game was particularly tiring. I feel… sleepy."

He yawned.

"Yeah. Me too. I think we _both_ can get some rest now. Night, James."

"Night, Lily."

And the two heads retreated to their respective dormitories, thinking that _that_ was that, completely oblivious to the trouble awaiting them the next morning.

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A/n: Thanks for reading! Please please review because reviews make me happy and hyper xx.


	2. Strange Letters and Anonymous Senders

A/N: Seriously, you guys. I just uploaded the prelude a few hours ago, and BAM Author Alert, Review, Story Alert! It was overwhelming, and it made me scream **thrice. **Still, I can't help but notice that there were about 50 hits, and only 2 reviews and it's not like I'm complaining but a simple review can really _really_ really affect me. Anyway, It was about time I uploaded this, so read on. :)

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Lily POV

I paced around the room, trying to decide what to do next. Marlene lay soundly asleep on the bed next to mine, snoring more loudly than she usually did. It wasn't really that loud per se, but she is so stunningly beautiful that everyone (including me) always seemed to forget that she is capable of snoring, or looking like anything less than perfection, at all. Nobody else was in the room, which meant that it was probably late in the morning, and we had missed breakfast.

I had woken up a few minutes ago, ready to proceed with my weekend routines, when I noticed something rectangular underneath my pillow. It turned out to be a letter; more precisely, an envelope. A big, brown envelope that contained a letter inside. Anyone else wouldn't have paid any attention to the peculiar covering, and would have opened it without a second thought, but I was afraid of letters.

Maybe it was because letters always meant something to me. Sometimes, they brought news, and other times, just important feelings and sentiments of the person who sent it. Most of the time, they were an unbearable apology from Sev, a sweet one from my parents, or a very intolerable one from Petunia. And back in 5th year, there were also sickly and annoying love letters from James (I don't know _what_ I'd feel like if he ever sent me any of those again. I'm also a bit afraid to find out).

Letters always made me uneasy. The sight of them made me cringe, and this one was no exception.

Usually, I asked Marlene to open them with me. She could be extremely wild at times; even crazy in others, but she was my best friend, and she understood my apprehension towards opening unfamiliar parcels and letters.

But Marlene was asleep; tucked away in her own fairytale dreams, and I didn't want to disturb her.

I decided to get on with it, and open the bloody envelope. It couldn't be that bad, could it? I hoped that it wasn't that bad.

Slowly, I lifted the flap and opened it. Inside was a piece of paper attached to what looked like a photo (I couldn't be sure, since they were facing the other side of the envelope). I took them out cautiously, thinking that this was the moment of truth. I turned the photo and paper around, so that they faced me.

"AAAH!" I shrieked, dropping everything I was carrying, and dropping on the floor myself. Marlene stirred a bit in her sleep, but continued snoring soon afterwards. I pinched myself, slapped my eyes; did everything I could to convince myself that this was all just a dream, and I didn't see what I just saw. _No. No. No. This isn't real. It can't be real._

I took the photo again, my hands shaking; the energy draining out of me.

It was a picture of James and me, when I accidentally tripped on him last night, and we both landed on the floor. It was an innocent muggle game; that's what it was, but this photo showed otherwise. It showed both of us on the ground, laughing, and looking at each other. I was on top of him, and the photo was taken so strategically well, that we looked like we were doing something else. In fact, we looked like we were dating.

I took the paper attached to it, terrified as I read the horrific message posted through cutout letters from what I suspected were old Daily Prophet newspapers.

**Hello there Lily Evans.**

**If you're reading this, you've probably seen the photo, and if you haven't seen the photo, go look at it right now. Seen it? Ha ha. Ha ha. Hey, guess what? I'm gonna post this on the school yearbook, and if that doesn't work, I'll be doing the next best thing—giving all the students and teachers their own copies of it. Why? Because I can. No, destroying that copy wouldn't stop me. The original copy is safe, and far, far away from you. Ha Ha. Ha Ha. You'll never find me.**

**BWAHAHAHA**

I rocked myself, staring expressionless at a corner until I was forced to accept that I really was awake, and this really was happening. And when I did, I raced to the Common Room, not caring that I was still in my pajamas, and my hair was a mess.

James had to know about this.

But he wasn't in the Common Room, and I realized that he might still be asleep in his dormitory. Abandoning all of my fears as to what I might see there, I ran towards the boy's dorm staircase (girls were allowed there), and burst the door open when I reached their room.

"JAMES!"

The first thing that I noticed was the foul, putrid smell that occupied the entire place, and my nose was unable to resist wrinkling in disgust. I had wondered a few times what the Marauders' headquarters looked (or smelled) like, and I can tell you, it wasn't this. James always carried a fresh, indistinguishable scent with him- not the perfumy kind exactly, but something that smelled just as good, if not better. I didn't expect their room to smell as good as he did (they were boys, for Merlins' sake), but I hadn't expected this, either. The entire area reeked of armpit sweat and rotten food. And it wasn't because the room was messy that I was completely shocked; it was the general mood of it, and the stench. Everything looked like it had been thrown into place in a hurry, as if there were dying patients inside. It almost resembled a hospital.

"Sirius and Peter ate very bad food last night, in case you were wondering," a familiar voice told me. "They haven't recovered since."

_Well, that explains the smell._ Remus was in the bed closest to the door, and his bunk was a bit cleaner than the others', although it still looked a bit cluttered and messier than I had imagined. I wondered how he was able to survive living with the other Marauders without losing his mind or without starting to act like them for this long.

"Oh. Well, I guess you've been taking care of them, then. And it explains _this_," I replied, motioning to the chaotic arrangement of everything in the room. "How bad is it?" I asked him.

"These two would be dead by now if I wasn't around. It's worse than the _third-year incident_," He answered, referring to the infamous event on third year where everybody who ate Pumpkin Pie had to suffer through stomachaches for an entire week.

"No. Not _**the**_ _third-year incident_. I still have nightmares about it."

Remus laughed. "It's _that_ bad. Sirius refused when I offered to get him some Firewhiskey, and he's _never_ refused before. Anyway," he said, and I noticed the quick change in the subject, "what brings you here, Lily?"

"Oh. Well, James…" I trailed off, not sure on how to continue the sentence.

"He's right over there if you're looking for him," he replied, pointing to what I supposed was James' bed. "He's asleep, but go ahead and wake him up. I'm sure he won't mind."

I blushed, embarrassed of what he was making me do.

"You do it, Remus. I can barely move with this stench. I'll stay right here."

"Oh, but I really have to get back to my book now. And it's not that far, really. You can make it out alive!" he said, suddenly interested in the book he was holding. It was hard not to wonder if he had some ulterior motive going on, because I swear I could see him trying to suppress a smile from under the book he claimed to be reading.

I made my way over to James' bed, hoping against my better judgment that he was awake. From my left, I could hear Sirius and Peter's loud and rhythmic snoring, and I wondered what on earth they had eaten to make them this sick. Probably something banned or illegal, seeing as they didn't go to the Hospital Wing, where they could have been healed at a second's glance.

_Okay. Back to the current task at hand._ I was a few steps away from James' bed; close enough to see that he was asleep. _Bugger_. Why wasn't he awake? It would make everything a whole lot simpler, easier; better for me if he was awake. But luck was never in my favor, and so there he was, lightly snoring under about ten fluffy pillows and a red blanket as I figured out how I could wake him up as fast as possible without shocking him.

"James," I said, trying to keep my voice soft, because nobody deserved to be woken up badly on a weekend. Besides, I didn't want to ruin his day.

"James. Wake up." I poked him a few times.

He rolled over to the other side, and hid his head under a pillow, mumbling a few words I didn't understand.

"Hey. James. Wake up," I tried, a bit louder. _This is a lot harder than I thought._

"Not now, Pads," he muttered, still half asleep.

"Er... James-" I tried to explain, but I was beaten by Remus, who, for a person supposedly very interested in what he was reading, was able to hear our conversation from the other end of the room.

"Prongs! Lily's in the room!" he all but shouted, laughing as James shot up immediately, almost bumping into my head, while a very confused look took over his features.

"What? What in Merlin's name are you doing here, Lily?" he asked, panicked and startled that I was there, pretty much looking at me like I had lost my mind.

"I came to wake you up," I replied stupidly. I didn't blame him if he thought I was psycho. I would be in a much worse state if I had woken up with a boy in front of my bed. In fact, he handled it really well.

"What are you doing here?" he repeated, still confused. I was about to tell him to go to the Common Room with me when he sat up, changing position, and the blanket that covered him fell off, and I realized that he had no shirt on.

I looked away immediately, blood rising to my cheeks as I threw a pillow at him.

"Bullocks, James! Put a shirt on!"

"Why? There isn't anything wrong with this," he said defensively, motioning to whatever it was that I refused to see.

"That is beside the point. Just do it. Please," I wailed, realizing how pathetic I sounded. But there was no way I would be able to concentrate with James practically half-naked in front of me like that.

"Fine," he conceded, looking for the nearest shirt he could find and throwing it on. "Happy?"

"Much better, thank you very much." I sighed.

"Anyway, you haven't answered my question. What are you doing here?"

"Come with me to the common room. We. Need. To. Talk," I told him. I looked for a brown envelope similar to the one I got, quite certain that whoever sent me my copy, also sent James his. Sure enough, I found it sitting on under a pile of textbooks and other things I couldn't recognize.

"What? Why?"

I took the envelope and made my way to the door, signaling James to follow me.

"Head business," I said, in response to Remus' curious glance.

There were a few people in the Common Room when we reached it, and they glanced at us, probably intrigued as to what James and I were doing walking down from the _boy's_ dormitory _together_. _Uh oh._

"This won't do. Do you know any place more private?" I asked James, and I knew he did, being a Marauder and all.

"Lily, what is this all about? And can't this wait till the afternoon?" he asked me back.

"I'll tell you when we get there, and no. It really can't. Now do you or do you not know any places where we can talk without being overheard or seen?" I commanded; switching to the voice I used in Prefect meetings; a voice he knew all too well.

"I might know a few."

He led me through a few corridors, changing direction every so often. It got to a point where I didn't know where we were anymore. We reached an abandoned area a couple of minutes later.

"James, when I said more private, I didn't mean deserted," I laughed, dusting the dirt off a chair before sitting on it.

He ran a hand through his hair, a habit I had started to find strangely endearing.

"Hey. You asked for private. I gave you what you wanted. Now, what is it you wanted to tell me that is so important you had to drag me here from my sleep?"

_Oh, yeah. The problem._ A second ago, I had almost forgotten about the terrible letter, and the even more awful things it carried. A slight blush appeared on my face, remembering what the picture implicated as I gave him the envelope.

"Open it," I told him, and he did.

I watched his eyes go wide and his mouth drop as he took out the picture.

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A/N: I'm sorry if we authors are er... persistent (annoying, stubborn) in asking for reviews. But really, it affects us in ways you guys could never imagine. And... it encourages us to write, so yeah. Review on! Will you do it if I ask nicely? :))

xoxo

El Padfoot


	3. Because Padfoot Was Sick

A/n: I was supposed to upload this two days later (to make the wait for chapter 3 (since I'm still writing it) not as long), but I decided to update it today because of some reviews requesting I update faster. See what good reviews do?

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James POV

Never in my seventeen years of existence did I ever think that Lily Evans would one day come marching into my room to wake me up. It didn't cross my mind in Fifth Year, when countless other scenarios (like a Quidditch-themed wedding) have made their way into my imagination. I certainly tried not to think about her that way since the start of this year. For one thing, my little infatuation with her had lived long enough, and it was about time I moved on. Things had changed since our last fight in Fifth Year. I used to think that going out with Lily was the only way I could _really_ see her; get to know her firsthand, but I was wrong. Being pals with her alone showed me more than I ever imagined. She _was_ witty. Charming. Brilliant- everything my thoughts had told me. But there was more to her than that. Lily Evans loved being right. She was butt-stubborn when it came to admitting her mistakes whenever I caught her wrong. She would rather throw herself off the Astronomy Tower than let me win in an argument. There was a certain rebelliousness within her, too. I'd always known that she wasn't the goody-two-shoes some people thought she was (constant use of the Marauders' Map told me that she sometimes sneaked into the kitchens at midnight), but to see her cheating her way to victory in some of our games was completely new.

I never would have known that she laughed all the bloody time, either. There was something captivating about her smile, and it always somehow caught me off guard; leaving me breathless, and making me want to beg for more. The sight of her eyes in such close proximity did things to me (like sending my heart to my throat), and I knew that it was bad. Since the start of the year, we had become mates; not only that, we had become very, very good mates, and it was too much of a good thing to me to just screw up with what I felt for her.

I spent a large part of the first months of school keeping my feelings to myself and trying to see her as nothing but a very good friend and fellow-head. Remus told me that the attraction- whatever it was that I felt for her- would wear off. Sirius told me to get myself a girlfriend.

The first couple of days were cruel. How could one detach himself from such feelings? Feelings he had been having for four years (and running), and only seemed to be growing stronger by the minute? And how could one not think about such possibilities when things had finally started picking up for him?

But my friendship with Lily was amazing; everything about her was, and as much as I wanted to pursue her, I had grown too attached to it to risk destroying it with feelings that might not even have been returned.

When it became obvious to me that I couldn't leave my special attachment to her behind, and I couldn't openly tell her about it without possibly screwing things up between us, either, I settled for the only thing I could do. As cheesy as it sounded, I kept my feelings sealed tightly inside the little box that was my heart; alive and existent, but inactive.

Sometimes, I allowed myself to wonder if "friends" was all we were ever going to be, forgetting that I was lucky to have been able to have conversations with her without it turning into a shouting match at all.

During the rare moments when I let my guard down, loosening the hinges of the lock I so carefully chained around my heart, accidentally doing things a "pal" wouldn't usually do for her, I was able to cover it up with some convincible excuse and keep my spot on the friend zone.

And I kept with that routine, contented and happy that I was able to share intimate moments with her without risking anything. I had come into terms with how far I could go with her, and I stayed within the boundaries.

But on other days, particularly on days when unusual things happened, and the girl you secretly fancied enters your room, and wakes you up, you lose it. And when she says she has something important to tell you; something so important, it couldn't wait until later, you more or less recount to every wrong thing you have ever done to her.

To put it simply, I was completely shocked when, instead of finding Sirius bouncing on my bed, telling me to "Wakey wakey," like he always did on weekend mornings, I saw red hair and green eyes and a girl still in her sleep wear, looking like she had come straight from her own bed in a hurry. At first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me, and I turned to my other side, knowing that the image would disappear as soon as I did. Maybe Sirius finally found out about who broke his favorite toothbrush in Forth Year, and decided to pay me back with this. It was all a really bad joke.

"Not now, Pads."

Maybe Remus had something to do with it, since the prank was so well-planned (the image even made realistic sounds), and only he could find a spell like that. That must have been it.

But then I realized that Sirius couldn't _well _have done it, because he was sick to death with the worst case of a bad stomach, and has been since the night before. And Remus actually doing a prank alone was far too unlikely to be possible.

This was a dream, then, my mind concluded; anything but believing that she was here- because she wasn't. It was just another Lily dream, like the countless ones I'd had before, and although this one seemed more vivid than the rest, like all of my other Lily dreams, I would wake up later, and find out that all of it wasn't real, and I had fussed over nothing. The thought of Lily Evans actually setting foot in this room was preposterous. Impossible, even. I would have drifted back into pleasurable sleep if I hadn't heard Remus' very audible cry from wherever he was.

"Prongs, Lily's in the room!"

_Holy shit. Oh bloody bullocks!_

Like a reflex action, my body jerked upwards, and I almost bumped into her. She was a few steps away from me; close enough for me to tell she was there; alive and real. Bloody Lily Evans was there! The sight of her in my room, in front of my _bed _of all places almost shocked me to death.

"What? What in Merlin's name are you doing here, Lily?"

I was a bit thrilled, too, I had to admit. But the combination of surprise and confusion and nervousness won out, taking up so much space in my head that the thrilled part of me was almost inexistent.

She answered something that my mind, preoccupied with the shock and everything else, couldn't process, and in the end, I repeated the question.

I sat up, changing position, trying to grasp the situation better.

Then, Lily started shrieking, covering her face, and telling me to put a shirt on.

"Why? There isn't anything wrong with this," I told her, offended. I always knew that my body was amazing, and she was the first one who ever reacted to it that way. Besides, what was so wrong with what I was wearing (or what I wasn't wearing)? I always went to bed that way. It saved me the trouble of changing.

"That is beside the point. Just do it. Please," She begged and at that point, I couldn't say no.

"Fine."

Lily told me to follow her to the Common Room, not giving me enough time to protest. I had no other options but to go after her. Quickly, I took my glasses and put them on. My heart hammered wildly in my chest, and my mind raced with a thousand thoughts.

_Oh bloody Merlin_. She had something important to tell me. Something so important, she had to come marching here, not even bothering to change out of her pajamas. Only bad news was _that_ important. What if she had found out that I still fancied her, and she starts treating me like she did in Fifth Year again, and this friendship I had worked so hard to achieve would be gone in a matter of seconds? Or worse, what if she made up with old Snivellus, realized that she had to choose between us, and chose him? What if they started dating?

My short-lived friendship with Lily Evans was going to end, and I wasn't ready for that yet.

"Can't this wait till the afternoon?"

She told me it really couldn't. _Better quick and effective, then_. If I couldn't delay the ruination of this thing we had had for the past couple of months, the only thing left for me to do was to end it quickly.

I followed her to the common room, waiting for her words to strike, but they didn't come. Lily looked around, and appearing discontented with the number of people (come to think of it, they _were_ looking at us excitedly, like they were waiting for something to happen), asked me if I knew any place more private. I was a sodding _Marauder_. Of course I did.

My mind locked on autopilot mode, taking me to the most private place I knew, as Lily followed behind. I led her around the castle, passing through the familiar corridors, secret passageways, and rooms Sirius and I had constantly used when we were hiding from Filch and his lot. They could have provided us the privacy we needed, while being a whole lot easier to reach, but I was too distracted with my own dread and apprehension for it to cross my mind.

The area was as dusty and old as I remembered when we reached it. The last time we had been here was in Fifth Year, and nothing had changed. It still looked like a cross between a warehouse, and a classroom, just as far from civilization as it had been the last time we were here.

"James, when I said more private, I didn't mean deserted," Lily said, laughing.

By that time, I had gotten enough of my wits and consciousness back to reply and ask her what she wanted to tell me.

I expected her to tell me that we were better off acting like strangers. Instead, she handed me a large brown envelope. Confused, but feeling very relieved, I released the breath I didn't know I had been holding, and opened the bloody thing that had caused me so much trouble.

_This better be important._ I took out the picture and the piece of paper that went with it.

My jaw dropped. I stood speechless for a good ten seconds. It was a picture, alright. A picture of me and Lily taken so well, it sent shivers down my spine. And implied things that were better off not implied.

I let out a string of curses."What in the name of Merlin's boxer shorts is this!"

She pointed to the slip of paper on my other hand, going slightly red in the cheeks. The message posted in the letter was even more absurd.

"It's horrible, James. I had to tell you immediately. Whoever is behind this has gone completely mental, and we can't allow him to release it to the public," Lily told me, her voice slightly frantic.

"Give me a minute. This is overwhelming."

She stopped talking for about twenty seconds.

"Who could do this to us? And why?"

Snape came into mind, but I knew I couldn't bring him up. Snivellus was one of our taboo subjects, along with my previous attraction to her. Besides, it wasn't likely, seeing as he's in Slytherin, and it was hard enough getting through The Fat Lady's portrait at all; how much more when it was past midnight.

"I might have angered a few people..." I trailed off, not wanting to elaborate on how many people exactly.

"Bugger. It could have been anyone, then. Anyone in this _entire _bleeding school, and we have no _sodding_ clue-"

"He's in Gryffindor. Anyone from the other houses couldn't have been in the Common Room at that time,"

"Well, that rules out a lot of people, then," she said, "You have _a lot_ of Slytherin enemies. Do you have anything else? That's still an entire house of people..."

"I've got nothing," I replied.

"Bugger. But that's at least something to start with. I've ruled out third years. I don't think they're old enough to pull something like this..."

"I bet they could. They're not as innocent as you think," I said, reminiscing my old third-year days and the impressive things I had done at that time.

"Fine. All Gryffindors between Third Year and Seventh Year, then."

"Yeah... Erm... could we start looking after lunch? It's almost noon, and I'm starving," I told her.

"Okay. Besides, I think both of us could use a little shower," Lily replied, laughing.

We walked back to the inhabited part of the castle, making small talk along the way. It wasn't hard getting into discussion with Lily. She was an easy conversationalist, and we, having the brilliant minds that we did, never ran out of topics. I muttered the password when we reached the entrance to the Common Room. A rather awkward moment turned up afterwards; neither of us quite knowing what to say before we left for our respective rooms.

"Well... I'll see you, then," I said.

She nodded at me, smiling as she retreated to her dormitory.

She didn't see it, but I smiled back; carrying the smile all the way to our room.

"Why so happy, James?" Remus asked as soon as I came inside.

"No reason," I said, trying to wipe the grin off my face.

He raised his eyebrows, disbelief in them.

He was about to say something when I cut him off, effectively changing the subject.

"How's Sirius and Peter? All better, I suppose?" I marched to Sirius' bed, covering my nose with my hand. He didn't _look _or _smell _better.

"He looks dead," Remus said. "Peter might be better, but I honestly can't tell."

I scowled, and slapped my best mate. "Pads, hey."

He grunted, taking a pillow plunking it over his head."Git. I'll get yeh later..."

"He really _is_ sick, Remus. I can't bloody believe it! Sirius got _sick_ over _food._"

"What about me?" Peter exclaimed faintly from the other corner, sounding hurt.

"Well, you get sick over everything anyway, Wormtail, so it isn't really shocking. Padfoot, on the other hand..."

"-never gets sick," Remus completed.

"Exactly. I never would have thought!"

"Speaking of food, it's almost -"

"Hold up, Moony. I need a shower,"

I stripped off my shirt, throwing it at the closest bed before I entered the bathroom and took my other clothes off.

It was going to be a long day.

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A/n: Writing this chapter was a pain. I seldom write in boys POV, so forgive me if James doesn't sound manly enough/sounds really soft and girly in this chapter. But you have the assurance that I'll get better- and I really will! And if this chapter has more typos, etc, than usual, then that's probably a side effect, so I'm sorry for that, too. Oh, and here is your chapterly dose of review requests (not sure if that makes _any_ sense). Off to writing chapter 3, then.

xx

El Padfoot


	4. Walkie Talkies Look Cool

A/n: It's my birthday today! And so, as a birthday treat to you guys, here is the **new** chapter! Sorry for the week-long wait. Tee Hee.

Oh yeah. Another thing I want to say is that this story is really light, so there may be references to the darker themes like Voldemort/Wizarding War, Remus being a werewolf, etc., but they aren't... er... relevant? Lily may or may not know about Remus being a werewolf... it really isn't important in this story. :)

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Lily POV

I headed to the Great Hall with Marlene. She had _finally_ woken up, and I'd filled her in on the significant and rather embarrassing (I _had_ to show her the picture, covering her mouth as she snickered loudly) events this morning, quite certain that James had told his friends, too.

"I swear, Marlene, if that smirk on your face gets any bigger, I am going to use a hair-frizzing charm on you, and you _know_ how long that lasts. This isn't funny."

"I know, Lils. It isn't... But it still kind of is," She said, giggling. "I mean… this stuff only happens in _movies_! And that picture… that _bloody_ picture!"

"Shut up. Somebody could hear-"

"I can't believe_ I_ didn't think of it! And _this_ is why I should start getting up earlier on weekends. I miss _everything_!"

"Marlene, lower your voice! This-"

"But it makes sense it was you, doesn't it? After all these months of denial… maybe it will finally get you to admit your _very_ **obvious **crush on Jame-"

"Ugh! I've had it! _Silencio_!" I said, not wanting to deal with her theories about James and me being perfect for each other, and such.

"Look at what we're having for _today_, Marlene. Soup… and this delicious chicken dish… Tasty, isn't it?" I grinned, laughing as she tried to speak and crisply rolled her eyes at me when no sound came out.

"I think this suits you, really…"

While Marlene attempted to cast the counterspell, I let my eyes trail around the table, looking for the Marauders, but they weren't there.

"Where _is_ James?" I asked to no one in particular.

Marlene waved her arms wildly, banging them on the table whenever she seemed to be making a point. I watched her, amused as she grew more and more annoyed. When she realized that none of what she was trying to get out made any sense, she gave up and tried to cast the counterspell again.

"James!" I cried, unable to control my excitement when he finally appeared. I hastily covered my mouth, cursing myself for sounding like an idiot. Pointing to the empty spaces across us, I told them take their seats (not that I _saved_ them for them. The seats just _happened_ to be conveniently empty, and I wasn't about to complain).

"Where are Sirius and Peter?" I asked, wondering why the Marauders, a group that usually consisted of four individuals, were reduced to two. I raised an eyebrow, not bothering to state the very obvious question as to whether the other two have recovered.

Remus shook his head in reply. "Upstairs. Sick as ever."

"Quite the odd thing, don't you think? Padfoot never gets sick…" James mumbled as he bit on a chicken leg.

I had long since accepted the strange nicknames they used for each other. Knowing that _Padfoot_ meant _Sirius_, I nodded my head in agreement.

I noticed James looking at me, and I purposely let my eyes trail over to Remus (who didn't notice), then back at him, knowing that James would get the clue.

"Does he-?" I whispered.

"Nope. Not yet. He doesn't-"

"What _don't_ I know?" Remus asked suddenly, surprising me, and leaving us looking for a believable excuse.

"That… Stan Cobberhorns—yes, the gay Ravenclaw who tried to kiss Peter once—told me the other day… that he had a thing for you," James said, and I had to bite my lip to keep myself from laughing.

Remus colored and started squirming in his seat.

"And… he said… that he would stop at nothing-" James continued, attempting to make him as uncomfortable as ever.

"STAN COBBERHORNS NOTHING. That's bullocks! What James and Lily are trying to tell you is that they were out snogging the other last night and somebody CAUGHT THEM!" Marlene exclaimed, finally breaking the silencing charm.

I kicked her under the table, burying my face in my hands.

"What? It's _true_. And _that's_ for silencing me. You don't know how hard it is _not_ to-"

"The _caught_ part, anyway," James said.

"But we obviously weren't…" I paused uncomfortably, not wanting to say the word.

"… er… _snogging_… or doing anything of that sort…"

"Of _course_ they were!" Marlene insisted, even though she knew very well that we weren't.

"Marlene, _quit_ it. And how could you? It was _classified_ information!"

"He was going to find out sooner or later, anyway, and you _know_ it. I had to at _least_ derive _some_ pleasure from it! _You_ left me all morning."

"_You_ were _asleep_, and I didn't see the need to wake you up. And even if he was going to find out sooner or later, that is beside the point!"

"Girls?" Remus asked, a bit confused. He had obviously never seen a full out argument between Marlene and me.

"But I have to agree with Hewitt, here. I would have found out sooner or later," He said after a few minutes, when Marlene and I had calmed down.

"HA!"

"But that doesn't mean you have to start squabbling about it again," Remus hastily added.

"No you wouldn't. James could have kept it from you," I asserted.

"No he wouldn't have."

"I wouldn't have," James agreed.

"Ha!"

"You guys just _love_ to gang up on me don't you? Everyone hates me," I threw my hands up exasperatedly as Marlene laughed loudly, and Remus snorted.

"I don't," James mumbled so low that I almost didn't catch it.

"I still don't understand what this is all about," Remus said. "All I can get is that James and Lily were…"

"-playing a muggle game."

"That's what they want you to think-"

"Yes… playing a muggle game… and somebody _caught_ you…? How on earth is that important?"

"It is _important_ if the person who caught you took a picture and threatened to give everyone in the Hogwarts vicinity a copy!" I said under my breath, even though there were less than 20 people left in the Great Hall. Someone overhearing was a risk I wasn't willing to take.

"We should, uh, talk about this somewhere else… a Marauders-only secret passageway, I suggest?" Marlene said, choosing the right time to be less than her usual carefree self.

"Marlene! That is the first valid point you have come up with today!" I teased, walking behind the boys after James and Remus looked at each other and gave identical looks, like they knew _exactly_ what place we were looking for.

Twenty minutes and a lot of recounting later, the four of us walked to our respective positions around the castle. I stood by the lake, trying to look for 'suspicious behaviour'.

"I still don't understand why we have to use these walkie-talkies," I whispered on mine.

I heard James sigh through the device. "We _always_ use walkie talkies on our missions," and I knew he was referring to the Marauders. "But we can't tell Peter and Sirius that you guys took theirs. They'll go mental."

"But we could have used a communication spell instead. _I_ know a spell. Why _didn't_ we use a spell?"

"Because everything looks better with a walkie talkie," he answered matter-of-factly.

"I never even knew you guys _knew_ what a walkie talkie was. It's a _muggle_ device… my kind of thing…"

"We did our research," he said proudly, and I could imagine him smirking right then and there.

"Besides, how were you able to get it working? If I remember correctly, Electronics don't work in Hogwarts..."

"Oh," he said, like he was waiting for this question to pop up all day. "Marauder."

"Right."

"I still have trouble working this thing… There are too many buttons," complained Marlene.

"_I_ still think we should have used a spell. It's so much more convenient."

"_I_ think you guys should stop talking, and start paying attention to your surroundings," Remus said, receiving a couple of '_yes_'es and an '_agreed'_ from James.

A few minutes passed… three minutes… five minutes… and Marlene started pressing random buttons on her walkie talkie, completely disregarding the Morse code labels.

"Marlene… what _are_ you doing?"

"I'm bored. "

"You sound like Sirius," I heard James saying.

"You sound like you're pressing randomly. Why aren't you using _the language_?" Remus asked curiously.

"There is a _language_?"

"Yeah," answered James' voice. "It's printed on the side of the Walkie Talkie. We figured out that the dash means a long beep, and the dot means a short one. You can speak through _anything_! It's brilliant! I used to think muggles were stupid, but this-"

I laughed. "I never knew you were _so_ into Muggle Studies, James. And the so-called _language_ is called _Morse_ _Code_."

"It's come in handy a lot of times! Once, we were hiding from McGonagall, and we were at the other ends of a room, and I had to get a message out without her noticing and-"

He was suddenly interrupted by a series of short and long beeps, spelling out the word '_F-L-I-R-T-I-N-G'._

"Lily, it _does_ work! I am starting to _**love**_ _the language_," Marlene chuckled.

It was a good thing that we were separated, because nobody was able to see how red I was turning.

"You are obviously mistaking our talking about _very_ _interesting_ topics as-"

"_Concentrate_," Remus chided.

"Right."

I looked around, searching for anything out of place… anybody acting strangely. My eyes settled on a Fifth Year seated underneath one of the trees. After about a minute, he started glancing at me; whispering to the guy next to him every now and then.

My eyes narrowed at him when he wasn't looking. I couldn't recall his name, but he looked oddly familiar, like I'd encountered him before. I realized that he had similar hair to James'. It had the same windswept appearance, albeit tamer, and a little longer. But that wasn't it. He really _did_ look kind of recognizable… but I couldn't remember why, and it was frustrating.

"Anything?" My device sounded in the form of James' voice.

"Martha Begnins _does _look suspicious, _and_ she keeps glaring at me," Marlene answered. She was positioned in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.

Remus dismissed the ridiculous accusation before I could. "Come off it. Everyone knows that Begnins hates _you_."

"What? _How_?"

"The… Hogwarts' Gossip-"

"What Remus is trying to say," James cut in, "Is that we saw her hexing you and vice versa a couple of years back."

"Nobody saw _that_," she replied defensively.

"A _lot_ of Gryffindors were there-" I reminded her.

"We were there!"

"Yeah… and it happened at the Great Hall, after all… And you know how gossip is."

"Why was she after you, though? We never found out."

"Er… Martha's boyfriend flirted with me… and I flirted back—which is completely acceptable behavior! One thing led to another, and… she caught him…us… It isn't my problem she can't keep him satisfied!"

And then something _clicked_.

_Flirted_.

_That_ _guy_… He was one of the younger boys who had fancied my best friend back in Fifth Year. He was in third year back then, young and silly and unaware of how hopeless he was. Marlene was obviously too old for him, and there was no way in a hundred years she would ever think of him _that_ way. It was harsh, but it was the truth. I still couldn't remember his name, but I was certain that it _was_ him.

I entered my own thoughts as Marlene continued to rant. That person, whatever his name was, still kept on looking at me every so often. _What do you want?_

He walked towards me after few minutes; his friend chuckling lightly. I crossed my hands over my chest, not exactly glaring, but eyeing him cautiously as he approached me.

"Hey, Evans."

"Hey…"

He looked as if he was waiting for me to say anything more, but I wasn't going to.

"Look… I saw you staring at me a while ago, and I think I like you too," he said, placing a hand on my hip.

I slowly removed the hand, surprised at the sudden turn of the conversation. _This isn't what I had expected._ "Excuse me… _What_?"

He grinned playfully (and I almost gagged), putting both hands on my shoulders this time. "You're a fiery one, aren't you, Evans? That's one of the things I like about you… playful and-"

I wiggled out of his grasp and stepped backwards, disgusted. "That's flattering and all, but you are _two years_ younger than me… and whatever you _saw_ back there was probably a big misunderstanding, because I don't see you that way and-"

"You _were_ gawking at me. I couldn't have imagined that."

"I… you've obviously seen it the wrong way, and I really don't-"

"Evans, _come_ _on_."

My patience was running out. I didn't want to release my anger on him, but he was making hard not to do otherwise.

"_No_. I don't even know your name."

"It's Rhapsody Hallwood!" He tried to take my hands, but I avoided him.

"_No_! Do I have to remind you that you are _TWO YEARS YOUNGER_ THAN ME?"

"Fine," He said, trying to shrug nonchalantly, but still looking a bit hurt. "You probably have no experience _anyway_."

From the walkie talkie, I could hear Marlene, Remus, and James asking if I was still there and if everything was okay.

"Yeah," I answered. "Under control."

I never really let those kinds of comments get to me. I did things that made me happy and comfortable, not because I had to reach everyone else's standards or impress others. Being Muggleborn, it wasn't rare that I got discriminated, looked down on, and taunted by others. I simply learned not to let what some wizards believed get the best of me. My friends never cared about my social standing, and neither did I. Although it _was_ hard when Severus started thinking and acting like his pureblood Slytherin friends. I had to admit that I was grief-stricken, depressed, and thoroughly damaged for a long time, but I had moved on since then. I tried not to think about him anymore; preferring to accept that he chose his path, and I had chosen mine, and that was that.

"What time is it?" I asked suddenly.

"2:39."

"I think we have to change strategies."

"Why?"

"Because standing here without anyone to talk to, while staring at everyone—who are doing completely ordinary things is kind of awkward and embarrassing," I held back the fact that _Hallwood_ giving _me_ bad looks while I stood on my post was even _more_ awkward.

Surprisingly, it was Remus who agreed with me. "Yeah… my foot keeps falling asleep."

"_Finally_," said James, and I realized that he was waiting for _this_ to happen all afternoon, but didn't mention anything for some reason.

"I'll meet you guys in the great hall, then?"

"Our dorm would be a better place."

I laughed. "No way. It stinks there."

"The library." Remus suggested.

"I _knew_ you would say that," said James, not hiding his amusement.

"Okay. The Library, then."

"Sure."

"Fine."

I noticed that I hadn't been hearing Marlene's voice in the recent conversations.

"Marlene?"

"Hewitt? Alright there?"

But there was no answer.

"Marlene…?"

I waited. Then, a creepy voice rang through the device.

"_Yes. I'm here._" It was definitely _not_ Marlene. In fact, I wasn't sure **what** _gender_ the person speaking was. I was too stunned to react properly.

Suddenly, James laughed.

And then Remus did, too.

"I thought you were supposed to be dead."

"It took you _long_ enough."

Then came Sirius' booming voice, laughing as he said, "Well, a stomachache can't stop me when I'm determined. Now could anyone tell me what in Merlin's beard you guys are doing, wasting this fine afternoon, and explain why you thought it was a good idea to let Hewitt take my walkie talkie?"

* * *

A/n: Hope you enjoyed that chapter. And I'm sorry for the cliffhanger. It's not that I **want** to end my chapters in cliffhangers so that you guys would "hang on". I just really find them appropriate, and a good place to end, so that I could start the new chapter in a different POV . I know that people who pull this card are annoying, but it's my birthday today! Please spare me a review, and I swear, it would be the best gift you could ever give me. :)

xx

El Padfoot


	5. First Year Idiots

James POV

"I woke up, waiting for Remus to whine about my snoring like he always does-"

"I don't-"

"Don't you deny it, Lupin! Anyway, I looked around and realized that both of _you_ weren't around," he said, looking at us accusingly.

"And at first I didn't believe that you chaps left Wormy and me dying, and ran off on your own. But no. The walkie talkies weren't there. And I knew I had to get this arse-" He pointed to his bum, "-_up_ and off the bed if I wanted to catch you before the day was over. And what hurt the most was when I found out that _somebody _was using _my_ walkie talkie without _my_ permission!"

"_Hey_!"

"And you replaced us with these two!"

"I-"

"Just because we were sick. I didn't know Marauders were _replaceable_!" Sirius cried, playing the victim to its worth.

Only a few people knew how dramatic Sirius really was. He got this way so many times that Remus and I didn't pay attention to it anymore, but I could see that the girls (mostly Lily) were new to this side of him, and actually thought that he was mad.

"It was an emergency!" Lily tried to explain, looking guilty.

"My sickness was an emergency," Sirius replied. "You must know how painful it was to find out that Prongs and Moony—my best friends in the world- left me and Wormtail in the weakest times of our lives to be with you."

She looked at the ground, and I felt a twinge of jealousy at the reaction he was getting from her. "I'm sorry."

Sirius barked with laughter, and Lily quickly looked up, glaring at Sirius as a blush overspread her face.

"Haha. I didn't think anyone would—Ow!" He cried when she wacked him in the head brutally. "That _hurt_."

"You deserved it," She said crossly.

"True."

"Git."

"That, I am."

"Anyway," he said, directing his attention to all of us. "It's _your_ turn. I need an explanation."

Marlene giggled, Remus smirked, and Lily bit her lip apprehensively, but I shrugged and gave him the envelope. There was no shame between us, never anything to be embarrassed about.

His face morphed into a shocked expression, and that was that. He examined the letter and the picture a few times before walking over to me and clasping me on the back. "Well, Prongs, mate, it seems you've gotten yourself into a pretty tough situation."

"Damn right I have."

"Any luck?"

"Nope," Marlene answered.

"All we've done this afternoon is stand in corners and talk about Marlene's love affairs," Remus muttered.

"Exes, boyfriends, breakups… everything of that sort."

"But it _was_ very _interesting,_ wasn't it?" She laughed lightly.

"That run-in with Martha Begnins? Yeah, I've heard about it a couple of times. Now, here's what they say-"

"Oh, sod off, Black. Like _you_ weren't there."

"Back to the topic, guys. What do we do?" Lily asked.

"Any plans yet?"

"Nothing."

This was followed by a period of silence as everyone tried to come up with anything that could help us. For some reason, my usual creative ingeniousity ran short, and no one else had any brilliant ideas. Marlene suggested we drug everyone with Veritaserum (which was actually a very good scheme, but Lily rejected it straight away, insisting that we should only use it at last resort), while Sirius proposed a few dull tactics that were immediately shot down (Let's ask James' enemies if _they_ know anything about it. Let's nick pollyjuice potion from Slughorn and turn ourselves into the Professors. I'll take McGonagall! ). In the end, we settled with looking around the corridors, classrooms, and staircases for anything out of the ordinary and leaving tracking spells around the castle.

We split into groups of threes and twos at random, covering sectors of the castle as fast and as effectively as we could.

"I'll take this side, then."

"I'll take the other," declared Remus.

"I'm coming with Moony."

"Then, I'll go on that side, too," Lily said, walking towards them. "Remus isn't enough to keep Black out of trouble."

"Have a little faith in me, Evans."

"Well, I'll go this way," Marlene said, and we all took off to our respective corridors; Moony, Sirius, and Lily to the left way, and Marlene and I to the other direction, so that both routs made an **L**.

Communication was easy; we each carried a walkie talkie, except for Marlene (who had hers taken away by Sirius), plus the pair of two-way mirrors Sirius and I owned, and the Marauders Map.

Taking a wall each, we began to cast the spell. The job became droning, and Marlene started talking to me after a while. It wasn't annoying at all, like when other girls (the ones I barely knew) tried to chat me up. Maybe it was because we were genuine pals, or maybe because she was labeled as _Lily's Friend _in my head. I couldn't tell.

"Hey, Potter."

"Hey."

"How's life?"

"Life? Fine. There's a war out there, and You-Know-Who's probably killing fifty _lives_ at this very second… of this minute of this hour of this day, and the Slytherins are running around hexing everyone else, getting tattooed with dark marks right under Dumbledore's nose… but yeah… life? Fine."

"You lost me."

"That was the intention."

She smirked. "But James, when I said _life_, I didn't mean… whatever you were talking about. I meant _Lily_."

I didn't let the shock show on my face. "Lily? I'm pretty sure Life didn't mean Lily the last time I checked."

"Lily," She pressed. "The love of your _life,_ Lily. I'm her best friend, and we need to have a heart-to-heart conversation, otherwise I wouldn't allow you to steal her heart."

I swallowed. "What makes you think I want her that way?" I bloody well did, but except for Padfoot, nobody was supposed to know.

She snorted. "You can pretend all you want, but you can't fool me. I know she believes that she's nothing but a friend to you, but I'm not convinced."

"I don't need to convince you or anyone. I know exactly who I want, and it's not her."

"Really?" she asked skeptically. "Because I don't believe you. What I don't get, James, is why you're being so bloody difficult."

"Maybe you're forcing yourself to see things that aren't really there."

She huffed aggregately and scratched her head. "Blokes! Wait, it's not _blokes_. It's _both_ of you… for two people so smart and brilliant, nobody'd expect you'd be this thick."

"I'm not thick. You're delusional."

"I'm not delusional. I can see the way you look at her. What's so wrong with admitting it?" She almost seemed to beg at this point.

"There is nothing to admit. I do not know what you're talking about."

"Lily… she's being ridiculous. It's like she won't admit _her_ feelings if you don't admit yours first."

"She doesn't _have_ feelings, and neither do I. Nor does Remus, or Sirius, or Peter... Marauders never fancy. It breaks the code."

She heaved a sigh. "I'm serious."

I grinned, the phrase being familiar territory. "No. You're Marlene Hewitt."

She looked at me incredulously. "Okay, then. What _don't_ you see in Lily? Why won't you ask her out anymore? And I swear, I'm not going to tell her."

The question caught me off guard, and made me falter a bit.

"I…"

The two-way mirror suddenly sounded, and Sirius' face came up.

"Prongs! I've caught him!" He roared excitedly, arm wound around a struggling kid.

Remus, who had appeared behind him, hit him in the head. "He's a 2nd Year, you dolt!"

"You think I wouldn't know that? Cheeky little thing here," He tightened his grip. "I saw him looking at us _twice_."

"Pads, he's shorter than Flitwick," I said.

"Besides, why would a 2nd year want to… plot anything against James and Lily?"

"Because… what's your name, kid?"

"T-tim H-hangleton," He stuttered.

"Yeah? Well, _Tim _here tried out for the Seeker position last year- yes, I remember you. James yelled at him and banned him from the pitch without giving him a chance to fly- 'there is no way you would ever make a decent seeker, so get off the fucking pitch and stop wasting my time' well, something like that…"

"I was having a rough day…"

"I know, James. That was when… er… anyway, all of his friends saw it. That is a _very_ traumatic experience, and it has scarred his life forever."

Remus smacked him in the head again. "Let him go. You're wasting time."

I could hear Lily's voice from the end of the corridor. "Remus? Sirius? Everything all right there?"

"Yeah," Remus yelled back. "Just Sirius being an idiot."

Her laugh echoed, bounding through the walls and entering the mirror, so that it also sounded on this side.

Remus glared at Sirius sternly, and the latter quickly conceded, releasing his grip on the 2nd year, who immediately ran away. "Fine."

"I don't know what is with you sometimes. One moment-"

A bright light suddenly flashed from behind, and something whizzed towards them, hitting Remus so hard that he stumbled forwards, and the mirror fell out of his grasp. Sirius reacted quickly, catching it just before it landed on the floor. It happened all too quickly, and none of us were quite ready.

Marlene shrieked, taking the walkie talkie from me.

"OY! What the hell is happening there?"

"Shite!"

"Moony?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

"The map. Don't let him get away!"

Remus hastily took the parchment from his pocket, and Sirius uttered the abraxas.

"Use the walkie talkies," was the last sentence we heard before the image in the mirror disappeared.

"The map…?" Marlene had a look of confusion on her face, but there wasn't enough time to explain what it was to her.

"I'll tell you later. No time."

"Right… WHAT'S HAPPENING?" she demanded, pressing the button on the communication device.

"Anything going on there? I thought I heard something," Lily replied, unaware of what just happened.

"THE NAME'S STEVE WONKER. He's running towards you, Evans," wheezed Sirius' panting voice, like he was chasing after someone.

"What? I don't understand. What-"

"Small kid. First Year. Tripped on you on the first day of school. Blond. You _know_ him." Remus answered, out of breath.

"What do I do?"

"Don't let him get away!" I told her as I ran to where they were, Marlene trailing closely behind.

I reached the intersection between the corridors, the kid barely running past me, and towards Lily, who had her wand ready. Sirius and Remus were behind me, while Marlene was at my left.

"We've got you cornered."

"You better raise your wand and surrender while you can."

"Raise it," Remus commanded. "Higher," he chided, when the first year positioned his hands barely over his chest.

Lily started talking in a stern, cautious voice. "Now, you are going to tell us what you've been-"She paused for a moment. "What _is_ he going to tell us?"

"He's going to tell us what he's been up to," Remus continued. "Or _who_ made you-"

Suddenly, a jet of light from behind, and a blaring howl from Sirius.

"AAAARGH!"

We turned around, momentarily forgetting about the first year as all the attention was on Sirius, who fell on the ground."

"What!"

"Sirius!"

"JELLY LEGS JINX!" he answered for all of us.

"There's more than one person?"

"The kid! HE'S GETTING AWAY!" Marlene yelled.

"After him!"

The three of us ran after the bloody bastard, but it was useless. He had made it to the main corridor, which was busy and packed with students all the time. I swore loudly. There was no way we could get him now; he had camouflaged himself in the crowds, and we had forgotten to take the Marauders' map with us.

"I'll get him later."

"No. We'll look for him. You go back to Sirius," Remus said, looking at Marlene, who nodded.

"Yeah? Good luck with that, mate."

Sirius and Lily were surveying the map when I came back, both looking very frustrated.

"Dammit, Prongs. We can't pinpoint who it is."

"The person who jinxed Sirius… He could've been anyone," She puffed, aggravated. "Another clue gone away…"

Sirius chuckled. "More adventures for us, then."

"True," she allowed.

She seemed to be looking around for something. "What time is it?"

"Around 6pm."

"Where are the others?"

"Looking for… what's his name again?"

"Sterling Walkingson?"

"Steve Wonker," Lily corrected. "I doubt that they'll find him, though. First years are rather fast and easy to lose."

"Evans! Have a little faith in Moony's physical capabilities."

"That's the second time you've used that line today."

"It's a very good line."

"Besides," I said, a bit amused. "Moony is a sly one. One must not underestimate the ability of his mind. He is the best con artist you could ever ask for, if willing."

She laughed with us. "Oh! Now I understand why you guys can come up with such clever plans and never get caught. I used to wonder how a team that is 75% idiot can pull off the things you do. Remus practically has four brains!"

"Exactly! He's so smart- Hey!"

"I was kidding, obviously."

"Save the teasing for later," Sirius said, putting his arms around both of our shoulders and walking forward. "Moony and Hewitt are probably waiting for us at the dinner table."

With that, the three of us walked to the Great Hall, Sirius between Lily and me. Dinner was ready.

* * *

A/n: This is a reply to the wonderful anon who reviewed me (anyone who reviews is wonderful!).

It feels like I know you in real life. Do I? ;)

That James pointing to himself part was actually an edit because I realized that electronics don't work in Hogwarts. Oh well... I'll have to fix it. Thanks!

Anyway, to anyone who reads this story, school is very very hectic (we get tests every day), so forgive me if updates come slowly. :)

xx


	6. Fitzwilliam Darcy

A/n: The long wait is finally over. Enjoy, guys. :)

Big thanks to Mibamonster for beta-ing this chapter for me. Check her stories out (*cough* The Marauders Companion *cough*) . SHE. IS. AMAZING. *A*

* * *

Lily POV

James, Sirius, and I quickly entered the Great Hall. We were about fifteen minutes late, and it was already full of people, but nobody seemed to notice us. _Good_.

I looked around, trying to locate Marlene, and the two boys seemed to be doing the same with Remus. I found her easily. She waved at me brightly, occupying our usual spot—somewhere in between the middle and the end of the table.

Sirius tapped my shoulder, pointing to the front end, where Remus sat, eating with Peter Pettigrew.

"See ya, Evans," he said, winking at me while James waved.

I made my way to my seat, staring at their retreating forms. A part of me felt kind of disappointed that I couldn't get to eat with the Marauders. A bigger part of me, though, was ready to eat, glad that the exhausting day was finally over. Our afternoon antics had drained the energy out of me, leaving me completely worn out and very, very hungry. Food looked really good from where I stood.

"Hey, Lils," Marlene said as I took my seat and started gulping in as much of the food as I can. That stuff was delicious, and I really needed the energy.

"Didja get him?" I asked in between servings, not caring about how appalling I looked or how the words sounded jumbled and blurred. Marlene knew me long enough to understand what I meant.

"Merlin, Lily. You're eating like a dragon tonight! I haven't seen you that hungry since… well… ever!"

"I haven't been this tired since last year," I garbled.

She smirked at me. "Only you can eat that way and still look attractive. Not to me, obviously," she added quickly after I shot her an odd look. She let her eyes trail to her left, a smug smile taking over.

I glanced at where she was pointing, or rather, looking, and sure enough, a couple of people were looking at me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. I resolved to eat slowly.

I stuck my tongue out. "Stop this… _mockery_, Marlene. It's definitely my eating that's attracting their attention."

She laughed in the oh-so-insulting way of hers that told me she thought my notion was ridiculous.

"You are a maniac," I said, knowing it was the truth.

"Honestly, though," she replied, the laughter finally stopping. "Sometimes you're so dense and stubborn, it's funny."

"But they really aren't! They're probably looking at _you_."

She shrugged, mumbling a few words that I barely caught. "It's useless."

"Why do I get the feeling that you developed the habit of teasing me these past few days?"

She thought for a moment. "It's hard to explain. There's something that I want to happen, and it isn't happening. Teasing you soothes the pain, dear."

"'Teasing you soothes the pain'," I mimicked. "Embarrassing them, making them uncomfortable, soothes the pain. Typical Marlene."

"I can't disagree with that."

Suddenly, I felt a rough bump on my arm. It wasn't strong enough to hurt, but it was a bump nevertheless. I turned around, seeing Rhapsody Hallwood, back turned against me while I heard a snicker in the form of his voice. Shameless bastard.

A small grimace appeared on my face, but I quickly wiped it away. The only shameless bastard that had ever affected me _that way_ was eating at the front end of the table.

"What happened with Remus, by the way?" I asked Marlene.

"Well, we couldn't find the brat, so we decided to wait for you guys, but Lupin met up with Pettigrew, and I stayed here."

"Why not there?" I wondered aloud. I didn't want to admit it, but I really did miss the three Marauders. Spending the entire afternoon with them had its side effects.

"I like the feel here," she said matter-of-factly, while looking at me curiously. "Don't you? "

"It just seems odd… very odd for you, Marlene—someone who hates seclusion more than anything—to separate yourself from Remus and Peter, knowing full well you would end up with no one to talk to for a good fifteen minutes, to wait for me. I seem to get the impression that you have some kind of ulterior motive going on…"

"I'm not that horrible, am I?"

"Of course you're not," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. I ate away what was left of my meal while my best friend pretended to fall off her seat, surprised and hurt that, _Lily Evans, of all people, had such a low opinion of her_. It soon turned into prattle about the time she accidentally ate a cockroach because her sister had told her it was made of chocolate. That was Marlene Hewitt for you; best conversationalist in the entire world.

"And when I turned it over, the carpet was pink! It had eyes, and these fingers, and even… three breasts."

But I wasn't listening to what Marlene was talking about. I had left my thoughts in another place, floating around the corridors we had searched as my mind retraced the events of the day and the clues we had collected. There seemed to be something that was missing, something I had forgotten, and the thought of missing anything that was essential to finding the culprit and finally ending the horrible joke irked me. Still, whatever it was that I was looking for, I wasn't able to dig deep enough into my head to find it.

"Lily? Are you still here?" Marlene asked, waving a hand in front of me.

"Yeah…" I knew that she could tell that something was on my mind, but she didn't ask further, so I didn't elaborate.

A few minutes later, we were in the common room, looking for ways to kill time. For some reason, the Marauders had decided to join us. I wondered why. Didn't they have anything better to do? Not that I was complaining…

We sat in a somewhat deformed circle near the fireplace.

"Truth or Dare?" Sirius proposed after we had recounted the events of the day to Peter.

The last Marauder, who was a bit cross with the others for going on a "misson" without including him (never mind that he was sick), brightened up immediately, and I swear I heard a faint mansqueal before he covered his mouth.

"Great idea!" said Marlene, and everyone automatically got up from their positions and assumed a circular position on the floor.

Everyone except for me.

James looked at me incredulously. "Lily. Don't tell me you're not going to join us."

"I… I'm not really in the mood." It was the truth. That, and I didn't want to face any awkward questions or dares. Also, I didn't trust Marlene, not with James Potter playing as well. I didn't trust Sirius either, for that matter. The way he was smiling gave me the feeling he was up to something - although that might just be that he was planning to have Remus streak through the Teacher's Room again.

"Rubbish, Evans! Don't be a spoilsport now," Sirius said.

"No, really. I'm just going to make the game boring. You know, being a goody-two-shoes killjoy and all."

"Ah!" Marlene chuckled. "I know what this is about." Sometimes, I hated the fact that she knew me so well. "Extreme dares, right? They give her the jiffies," she told everyone else. "Stop worrying, Lils. It's not as if you-"

"We'll keep the _extremity_ to the minimum," Remus interrupted.

"Please?" Peter said. I rolled my eyes at all of them, and conceded.

I hunkered in between Remus and James as they made space for me, silently praying that everyone would keep their word, and the hardest question I would get is what I liked more, the lake or the library. The not-so-optimistic part of my brain, though, told me that the chances of that were low.

Sirius suddenly let out a whoop of laughter. "Let's not get too cozy there, eh, Prongs?"

I glanced at James, wondering what Sirius had meant. Everyone else looked clueless as well. James glared at his best friend, but there was a trace of humor in his eyes. "You shut up, Padfoot, before I give you a dare you'll never forget." He winked seductively at Sirius, causing the latter to shudder.

Remus got the first turn, and he looked at us expectantly.

"Truth or dare?"

He thought for a moment. "Truth."

"First kiss?" Peter suggested.

Sirius immediately blew it off. "Nah! We already know who Moony's first kiss is."

Identical expressions appeared on Sirius and James's faces, eyes flitting to each other, as if they knew a dirty little secret. Peter, who noticed what they were doing, tried to act the same way.

"Lily and I don't."

I could see Remus turning red in the ears, and decided not to press him to tell us, knowing how hypocritical it would be if I did.

"I'd rather ask him _how_ it happened," James said, and a tiny grin appeared on his face.

"Great idea, Prongs! How _did_ it happen? You never got to tell us." Sirius banged his fists excitedly.

"I mean, obviously, Sam-"

Remus cleared his throat loudly, his eyes looking like they were about to pop out. He was probably hoping that Marlene and I didn't guess who the mystery girl was, but it was too late.

"Bloody hell! Samantha Wilburs? She's popular," Marlene exclaimed.

"And fit," Sirius added.

"Remus… how on earth did you get Sam Wilburs to kiss you?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Yeah. We didn't think she was in his league, either," James said.

Remus was very red now, and the blush that had started from his ears had spread to his entire face. "Dare. I choose dare."

"What? Nosiree, mate. You can't change." James said.

"Okay. Okay." Remus looked like he wanted to protest, but he shut his eyes and breathed in deeply, as if what he was going to reveal was a scandal that would ruin his life forever if it got out. Or maybe not.

"I asked for a kiss."

He held up his hand, trying to calm us all down while all hell broke loose. It was evident in our faces that what he had said had taken all of us off guard. Swears were uttered all at once, and one particular string of curses made me yell, "Sirius, LANGUAGE!"

"I… dropped a note in her bag, asking _very politely_ if she could give me a kiss on the cheek." Remus told us after we quieted down. "I don't know what possessed me to do it-"

"I know! It's very un Moony-like," Sirius cut in, earning a hard smack from the most responsible Marauder.

"I don't know what possessed me to do it," he continued "or why I had taken a sudden interest on her… but it was there. And I did it. I didn't really expect her to actually do it, or to even _mind_ the note at all, but about a few weeks from the time I sent it to her… well, I was making my way through the corridors—you guys were serving detention at that time," he said in response to the questioning glances the other Marauders sent his way. "—and while I was walking across a particularly narrow one… don't laugh!"

"I _knew_ you had it in you, Lupin," James said, playfully sending a punch to his shoulders.

"So proud. So damn proud," said an elated Sirius. "Like a real Marauder."

I had to keep my own grin from showing, all the while motioning for him to continue.

"A hand grabbed my head and..." Remus snapped his fingers "boom. Needless to say, I got a bit more than what I had asked for and enough to last me a lifetime, really."

"That was in Forth year, right?" James asked in between gasps of air. We were all clearly trying to hold back our laughter and not doing it successfully.

"Yes. Forth year."

"You're saying that you asked for a kiss on the cheek and got a snog in return? From Sexy Sam, no less," Sirius managed to get out, causing Remus to turn into a shade of red that I thought was impossible to achieve.

"Sirius!" I said sternly.

"What? That's what everyone calls her. And it's not like she doesn't like it."

Remus didn't respond, scowling at Sirius instead and taking the bottle that had caused him the embarrassment.

"My turn. I get to spin now."

He whirled the bottle. It took a few seconds until it finally stopped, pointing squarely at James.

Then, suddenly, the shy and self-conscious Prefect was gone. Remus grinned devilishly. "Payback."

The evening flew by quickly as each of us took our turns and answered the truths or did the dares. Marlene and Peter got the most number of turns, but Sirius got the worst and hardest dares. He had to face the wrath of Remus _and_ James, whom he had dared to, in Marauder terms, do a Code Red, level four, and recite _The Unbreakable Snave_, respectively. I didn't really understand what it meant. Once or twice, they made Sirius run through a particular corridor within a certain time period while avoiding Argus Fitch and any of the professors in the castle. (They could tell if he used a shortcut because of the Marauder's map). There were also humiliating dares, but I didn't want to recall them. Luckily for me, everyone followed through with their promises, and gave me relatively easy ones.

As the hours passed, our group diminished until James, Sirius, and I were the only ones left to play. (First it was Marlene, claiming she had some homework to catch up on. Then, Remus who said he could use a good night's sleep.) After another 15 minutes or so, Sirius bid us goodnight, not caring to explain why he was leaving so early (in Sirius' terms, at least). I realized that it was James and me again, left to proceed with our usual agenda—talking.

But James accidentally fell asleep on the couch. Not wanting to wake him up, I decided to take advantage of the sudden solitude by reading. I took out the book from where it had been residing since the start of the term—the front pocket of my bag. It wasn't really that long, but everything about my life has been so hectic recently, and I'd hardly found enough free time to get through it. There was also the fact that it was a romance novel—something I wouldn't usually get into. As petty as it seemed, I wasn't comfortable with being seen walking around with a non-educational book by the public. And even though the possibility of someone recognizing it was small- it _was_ a muggle novel- I wasn't about to take the risk.

But nobody was with me at that time, and I figured I might as well read the piece of literature. I opened the book, a bit too enthusiastically. It had been quite some time since I'd last read something for my personal pleasure.

' "_Oh! where, where is my uncle?'' cried Elizabeth, darting from her seat as she finished the letter, in eagerness to follow him without losing a moment of the time so precious; but as she reached the door, it was opened by a servant, and Mr. Darcy appeared. '_

My breath caught a bit. Mr. Darcy always made me giddy and excited. _Get a hold of yourself, Lily. _I continued reading.

' _Her pale face and impetuous manner made him start, and before he could recover himself enough to speak, she, in whose mind every idea was superseded by Lydia's situation, hastily exclaimed, ``I beg your pardon, but I must leave you. I must find Mr. Gardiner this moment, on business that cannot be delayed; I have not a moment to lose.'' _

Glancing at James, I saw that he was still, thankfully, sound asleep.

_``Good God! what is the matter?'' cried he, with more feeling than politeness; then recollecting himself, ``I will not detain you a minute, but let me, or let the servant, go after Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner. You are not well enough; - you cannot go yourself." '_

"Yes! Mr. Darcy, you fine, _fine_ creature…"

' _Elizabeth hesitated, but her knees trembled under her, and she felt how little would be gained by her attempting to pursue them. Calling back the servant, therefore, she commissioned him, though in so breathless an accent as made her almost unintelligible, to fetch his master and mistress home instantly._

_On his quitting the room, she sat down, unable to support herself, and looking so miserably ill that it was impossible for Darcy to leave her, or to refrain from saying, in a tone of gentleness and commiseration, ``Let me call your maid. Is there nothing you could take, to give you present relief? - A glass of wine; - shall I get you one? - You are very ill.'' '_

"Mmmmm…"

' "_No, I thank you;" she replied, endeavouring to recover herself. ``There is nothing the matter with me. I am quite well. I am only distressed by some dreadful news which I have just received from Longbourn.''_

_She burst into tears as she alluded to it, and for a few minutes could not speak another word. Darcy, in wretched suspense, could only say something indistinctly of his concern, and observe her in compassionate silence. '_

My reading was cut short by a small, squeaky sound from the floor. It made tear my eyes from the book and look up. I expected to see someone, but nobody was there. James was still beside me on the couch, asleep and…

"James?"

I realized that I couldn't hear his rhythmic snoring. I looked to my right. The space was empty.

"James?" He was somewhere in the room, probably hiding under his cloak. I just knew he was. It was either that or that something dangerous was wandering around the Common Room.

"James? I know you're in-"

"Lily!" His face popped from behind me while the rest of his body lay hidden beneath the cloak. I was so shocked that I shrieked, and I the book I was holding slipped from my fingers.

James, being the excellent Quidditch player that he was, caught it. "What is this?"

I made a grab for it, but missed. "Don't!"

"It's a book, obviously. Er… _Pride and_…"

"NO!" I screamed.

"_Pride and… Pred_… Lily! Stop moving around." He was having a resolutely hard time trying to read the title while dodging me.

"James! Hand it to me!"

"PREJUDICE! _Pride and Prejudice_."

I snatched the book from him, red-faced.

"Noooo!" I wailed, collapsing on the couch. There was nothing I could do. He had read the title. The secret was out.

James laughed lightly, occupying the space next to me. He grinned, elbows propped on his knees, inching forward, as if waiting for my next words.

"Fine. I was reading a romance novel," I admitted defensively. "Don't judge."

"I know," he said cheekily. "And I _am_ judging you. Lily Evans. Romance novels. Weren't you just going on the other week about how much you hated-"

"I know! I just… Argh!" I threw up my hands, frustrated. "You win. Laugh at me all you want."

I braced myself for the teasing, the mocking, but it didn't come.

"I would have, but you just took the fun out of it."

"Oh, joy." I muttered. "Thank you for your kindness."

That seemed to have been the end of our conversation, because nobody said anything else. I opened the book, ready to proceed with reading, when James suddenly started talking again.

"What is it about?" he wondered aloud.

"It's a Muggle story," I started, pausing as James eyed me skeptically.

"You know, why don't you just read the summary?" I threw the book at him.

He cleared his throat. "Fine_. _Pride and Prejudice. By Jane Austen. Since its immediate success in… 1813-"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I interrupted, unable to hold back my laughter. "It's your fault, James. Read normally." He was deliberately pronouncing every word with stress, trying to talk the way he thought muggles did—which was ridiculous because muggles and wizards talked exactly the same way.

"Fine. But only because your laugh is adorable," he teased, bumping my shoulders with his. James started reading again and, thank Merlin, wasn't able to see the small tinge of pink that had appeared on my face.

"… and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as a delightful creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the optimized Elizabeth and her proud beau, Fitzwilliam Darcy-" he stopped.

"Problem?" I asked sharply, daring him to go on. We had fallen into step with the unacknowledged squabbling game that was always around every time we didn't agree on something.

"What kind of name is Fitzwilliam Darcy?" he said, smirking at me, and I knew that he had noticed it too, whatever _it_ was.

"It's a great name, considering the book was written in the 19th century."

"A name is a name, no matter when it was given," he said. "_James_ will always be an irresistibly sexy name, whether today or twenty years from now."

"I beg to differ about that James bit, and generally, people of different time periods have different tastes. You can't expect someone from their era to like the same names we do."

"_Elizabeth Bennet_ is a nice name, and I'm not even from her era. Ha! Fitzwilliam Darcy, on the other hand… nobody in their right minds would ever name their son Fitzwilliam." He shivered. "It's wrong. It should be illegal."

"You like _Elizabeth_ because it's still accepted by our society-"

"I like _Elizabeth_ because it's a good name."

"Stop interrupting me. Where was I?"

"Talking about how irresistibly sexy my name is."

"Oh yes! Our society-"

"Yes?" he asked, a sudden thrilled look on his face.

"Not you. I was talking about how Fitzwilliam isn't really a popular name in today's society anymore."

"Obviously." He spoke in a slightly condescending tone. "About time they realized how horrible it is."

"It isn't a horrible name."

"What would you do if _I_ were named…_Fitzwilliam_?" He seemed to recoil.

It was true that James being named Fitzwilliam was something I did not want to think about—it made me cringe, but I wasn't about to say it out loud.

"Nothing. I'd call you Will."

He thought for a moment, as if he seriously considered what would happen if I called him that. "No. Call me Fitz. It sounds more badass."

I started laughing uncontrollably. "Fitz? It reminds me of soda, for Merlin's sake!"

"Soda?" James asked, baffled. I always seemed to forget that there were some things- some words in my vocabulary- that only muggleborns could relate to.

"A kind of fizzy muggle drink."

"Muggle drink?" he repeated curiously. "What does it taste like?"

"It pops in your mouth. Remind me to take you out to a muggle restaurant someday. It's _really_ good."

James seemed to like the idea, because his face lit up. "I'll hold that to you someday."

"Of course you-"

I froze.

"Lily? Alright there?"

My hand went to my mouth, covering the large "O" it had twisted into. I didn't even realize that my jaw had dropped.

"Oh, damn. No. No. No. No. No." I stood up and started pacing around the room, hands on my hips as a very perplexed James looked anxiously at me.

"Lily?" He rose from his seat, walking towards me and placing a hand on my shoulder.

"It isn't really that big a deal. But dammit! How could I have been so stupid?" I muttered, more to myself than to him. "I left it…"

"Left what?" James asked.

"Whatever it is," I said. "I don't _know_ what it is. Just that it's brown and about this big." I formed a shape with my fingers.

"What are you talking about?"

I turned around and faced my fellow head. "I'm talking about the thing that, correct me if I'm wrong, hit Remus in the head."

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A/n: This is a filler chapter, by the way. Thanks for being patient!

Reviews, please! Reviews are like finally being able to straighten out the hair of my Pre-school terror teacher.

xoxo


	7. Ventures at Midnight

Disclaimer: The only things I own are the plot and my OCs

**A/n:** There is no excuse for this. I'm really, really sorry for taking so long to update. Thanks to anyone who's still reading this and kudos to you for being patient. xx

* * *

James POV

Lily Evans paced around the room, her thoughts seeming to race at a thousand kilometers, while I stared at her blankly.

"What thing?" I asked, because I honestly had no idea of what she was talking about.

Lily's brows furrowed. "It's... rectangular and… I'm not sure. I got a glimpse of it and… bugger, I forgot to come back and take it."

_Glad that clears things up._ "And where is it now?" I asked.

She sat on the couch, placing her head in her hands miserably. "Gone forever. Somebody must have taken it by now."

"Well," I said, knowing how bloody awful I was at making people feel better but trying anyway, "it probably wasn't that important."

I was pathetic.

"Then again," Lily mused with a sudden glint in the eyes, "Considering it isn't a commonly used place, and we were possibly the last ones who used it, it might still be there!"

_Uh oh. _As logical and responsible as she was, there were times when Lily got ideas… odd, crazy ideas that came with intense desires to fulfill them. I observed her warily. "Lily, don't give me that look."

"What look?"

"The look that says you're actually thinking of—"

"I'm not thinking of anything," she answered a bit too quickly. Lily isn't a very good liar—a universally known fact_._ I knew her all too well not to notice the barmy look on her face. I didn't like the way her eye twitched, or how she tried to suppress her grin. Every event that was related to this kind of Lily had always ended in tragedy, and if I could be honest with myself, the thought of Lily getting the slightest bit harmed made me legitimately afraid.

"Merlin's sake. It's an hour to midnight!" I cried out.

She looked surprised, like it hadn't occurred to her. Normal Lily was indubitably stubborn. Lily gone mental was ridiculous and incredible. "But it might still be there! Some kind of clue!" she insisted.

I waved my hand offhandedly, trying not to show that I was panicking inside. "We can get it in the morning."

"It'll be gone by then."

"Not if we get up early enough."

"We never do. Besides, I won't take the risk of someone else taking it," she said.

I narrowed my eyes at her slightly. "This isn't a good idea, Lily. It's dangerous." _Especially since I'd accidentally let loose a group of nocturnal Wackspurts last week, among other creatures._

She looked at me sarcastically. "That's rich, coming from you."

I ignored the remark. "I'm serious. You don't know what creatures lurk around the castle. Trust me; you don't."

Her green eyes gleamed again, and I might have caught at their vividness on other occasions, but it only meant that she had another slapdash idea at present. "The cloak! I can borrow the cloak and the map! That ensures my safety, doesn't it?"

I scowled. "I'm begging you. Don't do this."

"I can handle myself," she said. She crossed her hands over her chest, and looked at me fiercely, but that did nothing to convince me. Seeing that I couldn't be wooed, Lily went for a different tactic. "Please, James? We're friends right?"

She cracked an unnaturally creepy grin and held out a hand for me to shake. "More than friends, actually. What say you?"

I shook my head, feeling a rush of pride at my tough resistance against her womanly forces, because no part of James Potter was tempted to give in. Not one bit. "That isn't going to work on me."

The nutty look on her face briefly vanished as confusion took its place. "What?"

"You heard me. No amount of charm or attraction is ever going to make me…"

Then I realized that Lily Evans might not have meant anything by what she said. Hell, she might not even have realized what she was doing—using her charms to get me to do what she wanted, that was. I was a hopeless case.

"Nothing," I said dismissively. Damn slip up.

"So…" she said, looking slightly better, but still not like she was in her right mind (and I meant it in the nicest sense), "You aren't going to hand it over, are you?"

Lily narrowed her eyes while I looked at her defiantly. It seemed like neither of us was ready to back down and let the other have what he wanted.

"Of course not," I started saying, but before I could complete the sentence, Lily bounded from her position and lunged for the map, which lay on the couch behind me.

"What're you—hey!"

If Lily thought that she could take it by force, she was gravely mistaken. I wasn't about to let that happen anytime soon. My reflexes kicked in just in time, and I yanked the piece of parchment from her before she could get a firm grip on it.

Her red hair tumbled around her face as she struggled to reach the map which I had conveniently raised over my head. "James, if you just—"

"No!" I snapped.

We thrashed around violently, hitting a few pieces of furniture, but it was the swift sound of the table thudding from the other end of the Common Room that interrupted us from our fight momentarily.

The instance of distraction proved enough time for Lily to take advantage of the situation.

"Sorry, James. I'll be back soon. I promise!" she said, grabbing the Marauders' Map and scurrying out of the room before I could stop her.

_Dammit_! I took my cloak and darted to the end of the room, but the portrait hole couldn't be opened no matter how hard I pushed at the painting.

I grabbed a fistful of hair in frustration. "Hey! Fat Lady!"

"It isn't _me_," answered a scratchy voice from outside, "Miss Evans did something to my canvas."

"_Alohomora_," I tried, but it didn't work. "Evans!"

After a minute, the Fat Lady's portrait opened, and I ran to catch up with Lily, ignoring the pestering nags of the woman in the picture.

With the Cloak covering me so that only my head and shoulders were exposed, I soundlessly reached Lily and whispered in her ear lowly. "That was a very dirty trick you did back there."

She jumped, clearly not expecting it.

"Wha- don't _do_ that!"

"Don't you have the Marauders' Map with you?" I asked. Lily abruptly looked at the piece of parchment on her hands, embarrassed, and I followed her gaze. A single glance made me forget my anger towards her, and I burst out, laughing.

"Should have asked me to teach you how to unlock it before running off like you did, yeah?" I mocked lightheartedly.

Lily turned as red as her hair. "I hate you. I hate this infuriating little thing. All it does is hurl insults at me—'Mr. Wormtail advises Lily to wear perfume; something that conceals her toxic stench, perhaps? Mr. Padfoot is amazed at how Lily's chest could be flatter than a ping-pong table,' I could go on."

I smirked at Map!Padfoot's words, knowing that while they were an exaggeration, there was a lot of truth in them.

"Annoying, isn't it?" I took the map from her. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Lily huffed bitterly. "I should have known.

Casually running my hand through my hair, I followed Lily outside, huddled together underneath the Cloak lest someone suddenly appeared.

We roamed around the hallways like it was a regular patrol, except people usually didn't patrol at eleven in the evening, and we deliberately avoided the places that were shag-prone. Twenty minutes passed, and we still hadn't found whatever Lily was looking for. I was beginning to get drowsy.

"Lily, are you sure—"

"Yes. It's got to be here somewhere," she said adamantly.

I yawned. "Whatever you say..."

"I used to think Filch stalked these walls twenty-four hours a day."

"Oh he does," I said, knowing how much of it was true. "We just haven't been caught yet." As if on cue, we looked for the caretaker's dot on the map.

Due to years of experience, I could easily find it. "He's on the other end." I pointed at the dot that read Argus Filch. "Not that near, but we better be careful."

"Oh." Lily walked a bit closer to me from then on and I couldn't really say I didn't enjoy it.

We continued circling the corridors, and it got to a point where I realized that we had walked around the same passageways thrice. I was on the verge of boredom when Lily suddenly exclaimed, "There it is!"

One moment she was next to me, and in the next, Lily was out of the cloak and running towards a spot in front of us. I looked at the map to see where Filch—_oh no_.

The sound of footsteps approached the scene. Argus Filch was close. Very close.

"Oi! E-" I started to yell, but she realized her mistake too late. Lily's eyes shone with panic.

And before I knew what I was doing, I'd dashed towards Lily, hoping to make it before either of us was spotted. We collided, and through some inconceivable way, I managed to cover us both with cloak just before Filch appeared at the end of the corridor.

We tried to be still as possible – which was hard to do because of our awkward position on the floor.

Filch looked around suspiciously, scratching his head and listening for whispers that didn't come; even sniffing the air and asking his cat if she smelled anything wrong. After a few minutes, the man stalked away, grumbling about lowlife, pain-in-the-arse students, and _oh, the punishments he would give them_.

We exhaled loudly when he disappeared.

I looked at Lily unsympathetically. "That was careless."

She seemed to shrink under my gaze. "It was. I'm sorry. "

"Reckless, even."

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

"Sorry isn't enough sometimes."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, stop getting yourself into things you can't handle, for a start."

"I only did something you would," Lily said quietly. "It was stupid, but I don't know why you're overreacting. You're a Marauder. You should be thrilled."

She was right. I _was_ making a big deal out of an insignificant thing. "Point taken. You're right. Sorry for that."

"Me too."

"Just… don't go off like that. You gave me a heart attack back there."

She nodded. "Yes… and James? You can remove your arm from my waist now."

"What? _Oh_." I didn't even realize that they'd been there for so long. My face felt hot as I hastily released my hold on her.

Lily picked up the small rectangular box— which was a chunk of wood, I found out. I covered us both with the cloak and we walked back to the dormitories.

"You know, if I hadn't been there, you'd be dead by now…" I told her. "Or worse—_expelled_!" My voice pitched a few octaves upon uttering the last word.

"Shut up! I don't look or sound like that."

"Yes you do, and apology accepted."

She opened her mouth with an incredulous look, about to react, but thought better of it. "Hmph!"

"And Lily?" I said, waiting for her to look at me before I continued. "Next time, let _me_ be the reckless one. Please."

We reached the Fat Lady, who greeted us with a great deal of enthusiasm. "You had fun, kids?"

"Argentium," said Lily tiredly.

The painting pretended not to hear her. "_My, my_. What a late time this is. One can only wonder—"

"_Argentium_," I repeated snappily. "Now will you _please_ let us in?"

The portrait complied, albeit grudgingly. She muttered a few things while admitting us. "Hey! That isn't very nice! After all I did to-"

The picture swung shut and we walked back to the couch. I realized how exhausted I was and how terribly I needed sleep.

"One box," I told Lily as we settled on the couch. "We went through all that trouble for one box."

"Mhmm..."

"I don't know why I put up with your shenanigans, Lily."

"Because I put up with yours."

"Touche."

The only answer I received was a muffled snore. Lily was sound asleep when I looked behind me, and I stared at her sleeping form for a few seconds, relishing the fact that nobody was around to tell me off. I thought of carrying her into the girl's dorms, and I would have done so, but my drowsiness caught me before I could do it.

* * *

**A/n: **So um... as you probably noticed, nothing much has happened in this chapter. It's a filler chapter, and not my best, I admit. The big plot things happen between the next chapter and in Chapter 8, and they'll hopefully make up for this. I've already written a transcript/outline of Chapter 8 and finished Chapter 7, and I'll try to update in a week, or 2 weeks, or a month. (I obviously can't be trusted with update promises anymore).

Also, tell me what you think. I want feedback. Tell me what you'd like to happen, and which part of this fic is working and which part isn't. Give me suggestions. :)

-El Padfoot


	8. Exes and Revenge

A/n: We meet again, my dedicated readers. Again, apologies for this late update, but it isn't my fault this time. BWAHAHAHA. I finished this one week after uploading the last chapter, but my beta has been very busy with college and hasn't been able to check this for me. Not that I hold it against her, but yes, it has delayed the updating of this story. Anyway, last night I decided to post this even though it hadn't been beta-ed yet. I guess my beta can check this when she finds time. It's much more convenient for both of us, and much less annoying for you guys haha. x

* * *

Lily POV

I woke up under a great deal of pillows and a soft red blanket that wasn't mine. It was a pleasant morning and I smiled, recalling the dream I had last night. I hugged one of the pillows, wondering why it was more than what I was accustomed to—not that I was complaining, of course. Looking at the bed next to mine, I counted the pillows and checked for anything that looked suspicious.

_How did I even get here?_ If I remembered correctly, I had spent the entire night and early morning yesterday running around the castle to look for something. The last place I remembered consciously being in before giving in to my fatigue was… never mind. Images of James carrying me into my room popped into my head anyway, and I tried to push them out. Fat chance of that happening.

What was it I was looking for? I'd almost forgotten about the more important matter at hand—the cute little box that was going to be our one-way ticket to finally catching the blackmailer, of course.

A light snore interrupted me from my thoughts.

"Mary?"

"Mmmmm..." she mumbled, still half-asleep in her bed.

"Uh, never mind."

I was about to ask her if she had any idea as to where Marlene was, but decided against it when I saw a note from the devil herself.

**About time, sleepyhead. We'll be waiting. Don't be seen. xx –M**

At the back of the note was a detailed map and guidelines to get to the place. I threw a coat over yesterday's clothes and rushed to the meeting place. Showering would have to wait.

"So?" I said, catching my breath as I threw the door open.

The sight that greeted me was an oddity that shouldn't ever be exposed to the public no matter what happened, lest we'd want them to know how much of an odd bunch we really were. The abandoned stockroom was charmed to hold a bright orange wrestling ring, complete with spotlights and ropes at the sides. James and Sirius, clad in nothing but their boxers, were _inside_ the said ring, grappling each other with unrefined moves. Peter, who wore a referee outfit, ran around the two pillocks and blew on his whistle every fifteen seconds or so. Marlene fiercely cheered whoever had the upper hand while Remus looked the most normal, simply holding a timer.

How none of them could have _not_ noticed me was a mystery, but I decided not to declare my presence yet.

The amusing scene played on for a few minutes, until they realized that the door was open and someone was standing by the doorway, grinning.

There was a collective wave of "Lily!" followed by an awkward moment of silence- for them, at least.

"We were bored!" said Sirius defensively.

I smiled. "That has to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen!"

Remus joined me with a chuckle. "You haven't been around these people often enough if that's the most ridiculous thing you've seen."

Sirius smiled smugly. "She wouldn't know ridiculous if it hit her in the face."

"Neither would I like to find out… anyway," I said, recollecting my thoughts. "Sirius, James, save the stripping for later and put on your robes."

The two grinned at each other, seeming to laugh at my virtue.

"It's distracting her, although I believe that was James's intention all along."

I gave Marlene a dirty look, and continued talking.

"Now... where is the chunk of wood that hit Remus?"

The question was met with apprehensive glances.

"Where is it?" I asked again slowly.

They looked at each other with expressions that conveyed a mental conversation. It wasn't hard to guess what they were thinking. Something along the lines of, 'Who is going to break the news to Lily?' For my sake, I hoped it was good news.

After some time, Remus spoke up.

"You see, Lily..." he started awkwardly.

"What happened?" I demanded a bit impatiently, but only because I was anxious.

"It got destroyed."

"_What_?"

Remus—no, the entire group—looked uncomfortable. "Peter accidentally set it on fire."

I gaped at them. "Tell me you're joking. For the love of everything in its right place, please tell me you're joking."

"Sorry, Lily," Peter squeaked weakly. He took a pile of ashes from his pocket.

I looked at the remains of what used to be our closest bet to finding the culprit. "You did _that_?"

"Yes..." Peter said. Everyone else was looking between us, probably scared for Peter's health and of how I was going to react. They had every right to be.

_Silly Peter..._ I tried to reason with myself. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't as if he set it on fire on purpose, was it? However, the more I thought about it, the more heated my thoughts became.

Then, I stopped listening to my mind and allowed my body to take control of me. I jumped to claw at Peter, but Remus, James, and Sirius were quick to action and held me up. "No Lily!"

"Let me at him!" I screeched.

James looked between me and Peter uneasily. "Wormtail, I suggest you- go- and hide now- before—_oi!_"

I stubbed his toe in a desperate attempt to injure him.

The three Marauders looked at each other as some sort of understanding passed between them.

"I guess there isn't any choice now, is there?" James said, and I struggled to find out what they were planning to do.

"No, I guess not," Remus answered.

"Moony, do the honors."

And do the honors he did. Remus stepped back and pointed his wand at me.

"I'm sorry, Lily," he said sympathetically. Then, he muttered a few words I didn't catch, and a small, green light shot from the wand.

Five minutes later, I was locked at a sitting position; my face being the only mobile part of the body.

"I can't believe you lot! James, after all we've been through! And _you_, Lupin!"

"This is for your own good, Lily- and Peter's," James said, looking extremely guilty.

I looked at Marlene irately. "What kind of friend are you?"

She batted her eyelashes at me. "A pretty one."

They let me complain for another fifteen minutes, playing wizard chess until I realized that I couldn't get out of the situation if I didn't behave.

"Knight to P5."

"Damn. How did I not see that coming?"

"I'm rational now."

Marlene glanced at me. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" she said. "A lot better than what I planned to do, at least." At this, she placed a hand on her hip and smirked.

"Wouldn't I like to know…" I muttered.

"We do have good news," Remus said as he mumbled the counter-jinx.

They then took out the Invisibility Cloak to reveal a little kid with a piece of cloth over his mouth. His entire body was tied up. Upon closer examination, I recognized him as the one we were chasing yesterday.

"Oh my god," I said. "He's been here this entire time? When Dumbledore finds out, he'll-"

"It's okay, Lily." James told me, like he was used to doing things like this; I most certainly was not. "We'll wipe his memory afterwards. He'll know nothing about it."

It would have been fine if we were dealing with someone relatively our age, but this was a First Year, and something about his innocence and vulnerability made me guilty about doing this. Moreover, I was pretty sure it wasn't an appropriate thing for the Head Girl to do.

"Remus, are you going to allow this?" I asked weakly. Surely, the guilt must have gotten to him, too.

"Sorry, Lily. It has to be done," he answered, although a frown formed on his face.

"Besides," said Sirius, "this is for a good cause."

It wasn't as if Sirius could understand, but I played his words over and over in my head anyway. _Good cause. Good cause._

"I'm going outside," I announced, catching a sympathetic look from James. "Tell me when it's through."

"Lily—"

"I'm coming with her. I don't know if I can take this either," Marlene said, much to my surprise. _What had happened to the sadistic being I knew as my best friend?_

We stepped outside and closed the door, but not before we caught a few sounds. Most clear probably, was Sirius Black's harsh voice that demanded, "Who do you work for, kid?"

"Had a nice sleep, Lily?" Marlene inquired, smiling innocently so maybe there wasn't anything she was implying. Then again, this was Marlene, and the time she stops cooking up plans to torture me will be when Professor McGonagall admits her undying love for Dumbledore.

"Yeah. I reckon I had a nice dream about meeting… um… merpeople."

"Sure." There wasn't a trace of sarcasm in her tone, but Marlene's eyes did get buggy. I knew that under that normal exterior, she was giggling. "I hope your pillows were… cozy." _Cue in the wild, fanatical laugh_.

"They were…" If I were having this conversation with anyone else, it would have been extremely awkward.

"Well, I'm just going to go around _that_ corner… these feet need to move, you know. I'll be back… fast."

I examined her, trying to decide if there was something off in her expression or if she really _did_ just need a walk. Then again, there was no point in what I was doing. There was always something off in Marlene's expression, and she never really just needed to walk. "Er, sure..."

As soon as she disappeared behind a wall, a loud, high-pitched laugh, much like that of a lunatic, rang through the corridors.

_Knew it._

Oh, I could imagine her rubbing her hands together, saying hour-long monologues about her clever, clever brain and ingenious plans of torture.

Marlene came back a minute later, trying to act like all she did in the halls was walk. "Hi again, Lily. Ah, that was a wonderful walk. Also, I could've sworn I heard a unicorn whining- very loudly, I might add. Did you hear it too?"

I raised my eyebrow. "Marlene, there are a thousand reasons why I wouldn't—"

"You've never heard a unicorn scream, you say? On one hand, that is seriously offensive to them, but I guess it is uncommon… but believe me when I say it _is_ a unicorn! Probably a she-corn, or a baby-she-corn or… oh! A homo-corn. I've been told that I sound like them, you know? And I've seen them in my dreams!" she prattled.

"It really doesn't—"

"But what am I doing, talking about potential homo-corns I've met? They're probably done with interviewing the kid. The marauders, I mean. Not unicorns, because that would be ridiculous!" Marlene smiled at me innocently.

It was at that exact moment when Sirius and the first year walked out of the room, holding Popsicle sticks.

Sometimes, I wondered if she planned things like this in advance.

"And then the waitress told Remus to wear the enlarged diaper, and Moony, being the bird-pushover we know, couldn't refuse. Classic!" he said, accompanied with violent fits of laughter.

"I am not a pushover," Remus said, following closely behind them. "I am simply a gentleman; unlike you, who molests every woman with his mind the moment he spots them."

They bid goodbye to the first year, who was now wandering around the castle, thinking he had made brilliant friends.

"What did you get?" I asked, as soon as he was out of earshot.

"Aside from the fact that he's snogged a cousin of mine? A _first year_, by the way, Evans."

"You know bloody well what I'm talking about. Who is he working for?"

Sirius scratched his head with a frustrated look.

"Ethan MacDougal," James supplied.

"Who?"

"As far as I know," Marlene said, "He's in our year; got sorted into Ravenclaw even though he isn't very rule-abiding or clever; sneaks into Hogsmeade on weekends; and has a sick relative named Muriel."

"You know an awful lot about this Ethan MacDougal," I told her, raising an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "He's cute. I did my research."

"But… he's in Ravenclaw," I pointed out. "That doesn't make sense."

"Yeah, we haven't figured that bit out yet," Peter said.

"D'you guys remember doing anything to him?" Marlene asked James and me.

I shook my head. I didn't even know the bloke, let alone do something horrible to him. Besides, I don't _do_ horrible things…

"Marauders, then. Have you done any pranks that might have ruined his life?" I said, although I was looking at James.

They glanced at each other blankly.

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

_Then what was it_? Bugger, I hated not knowing things.

"Oh!" Remus clasped his fists excitedly.

"Ethan MacDougal!" he said, as if it explained everything.

We sent him vacant stares in return, waiting for him to realize that we didn't have a clue of what he was talking about.

"The bloke who went out with Bumpott."

I struggled to make sense of what he was saying. Was Remus talking about Hollice Bumpott, and if so, how did she fit into the equation? Sirius chewed on his Popsicle, annoyed.

"What does that have to do with... oh? Prongs, remember Bumpott?"

"Uh…"

"Black hair, different eye color each time we met her, ring any bells?"

James was looking at the floor expressionlessly, probably searching for Holly's name in his head.

"Bumpott… Oh. _Oh_. Wow. That was ages ago."

"Forth year, if I recall correctly."

While I was studying James's expression, trying to comprehend what the three of them meant, I noticed him glancing at me more than once. That was never a good sign.

"Well?" I asked. "Who is it?"

His gaze fell back to the floor. "She's... an ex girlfriend of mine."

"One of the many," Peter added thoughtfully.

"Oooooh. _Drama_." I pointedly ignored Marlene and her obnoxious snickers.

"And what does she have to do with MacDougal hating you, and in turn, trying to ruin my life?"

He smiled sheepishly. "I broke them off- Bumpott and Dougal. It didn't end well, did it?"

Remus seemed to be enjoying James's discomfort. "Not only did he ruin a perfectly good relationship; he also dumped her after two weeks."

"Thanks, Moony. Real nice of you."

"So it was you all along, Potter. I'd always thought it was a Marauder..." Marlene said, being exceptionally unhelpful.

"Ah, Holly Bumpott. Brings back fond memories," Sirius mused.

Meanwhile, I had a sick feeling in my stomach. "Merlin, you're horrible!"

"It isn't something I'm proud of," James said.

"They had been together for two years before you ruined it. How could you?" I stared accusingly at him.

"Hey! I've changed…"

"Besides," Sirius said, "The bloke was clearly into her way more than she was into him. It wouldn't have lasted, and they _did_ eventually get back together, didn't they? No harm done in having a little fling with someone else every now and then. It keeps them healthy and-"

James promptly punched him in the stomach.

He might have been right. James _had_ gone a long way from being the intolerable prat he was two years ago. Nevertheless, there was still a weird, unfamiliar feeling in my stomach I couldn't place. It was more uncomfortable than anything, and I wanted to ignore it.

Sirius looked at me with a malicious gleam in his eye. "Evans, darling, you don't even know _why_ he broke up with her in the first place."

"Shut it, Padfoot."

"Let's look for them, eh? Better solve this entire thing before the day ends," Marlene said, looking like there was something she had to do.

"So... Jelly Legs or Paralyzing Jinx?"

I covered my face with my hands. "Oh no. I don't want to witness any of that. I'll be staying here. Just call me when it's over."

* * *

_Ethan MacDougal sits in an old, battered chair about a foot and a half high. His legs and arms are tied up, and his mouth is tied tightly with cloth; as are his eyes with a blindfold. He is confused and anxious as he waits for his captors to appear. Then again, it is entirely possible that he isn't even _aware_ that he _has_ captors since he was hit by a spell from behind, according to James. In that case, Ethan MacDougal is simply confused._

I had to admit that I was very excited about this. It was of those scenes you'd see in muggle telly or read in novels, but something you wouldn't expect in real life.

I was also visibly nervous.

Still, I wasn't about to allow the responsible side of me take over and ruin all the fun. Lily Evans wasn't one to waste a golden opportunity to unlock her inner Sherlock Holmia. I could've had potential to be an Auror for all I knew. Besides, this concerned a significant someone in James's past. I'd given up on denying that I was at least a bit curious as to who she was or what had happened between them.

_Three people eventually emerge from the darkness (or from a corner of the room), with black clothes and paper bags on their heads so that only their eyes are visible. They were once a group of six, but the others were sidetracked by an assortment of circumstances (mainly, an appointment to the Astronomy Tower, a last-minute trip to the library before it closed, and a hungry owl that needed attention). Anyway, the three carry a lit torch—the only source of light in the room. They walk to the captive and remove his blindfold._

MacDougal let out a loud yelp when Sirius tore the cloth from his mouth. I jolted involuntarily.

"James…" I murmured, having second thoughts about pushing through with the entire thing.

He gave me an encouraging smile. "Relax." Somehow, that helped push down my guilt; but not very much.

"Now, Mr. MacDougal," Sirius said in a semi-formal voice I didn't know he had, "We're not going to hurt you if you do what we tell you."

"What-"

"Merlin, that sounds so lame," he whispered to James and me.

Sirius cleared his throat loudly. "I mean, pay attention and you'll get out of this alive."

He looked back at us again. "I give up."

James pointed his wand at MacDougal's throat while Sirius continued speaking.

"Are you or are you not associated with this?" He held up the slip of parchment that James and I had received.

I looked between the two, starting to feel really bad for Ethan.

"Isn't this criminal?" I rambled to no one in particular. "I mean, when Dumbledore finds out… I reckon we'll get sent to Azkaban. Kidnapping is illegal, isn't it? Mum and Dad will be so disappointed. And—"

James and Sirius gave me odd looks, and I decided to shut my mouth.

_Okay, Lily. Calming thoughts. Green Tea. The ocean._

"Who're you?" Ethan asked cautiously.

"Give us the right answer and you won't be harmed."

"Where the hell am I?" he shouted hysterically, and thank goodness I'd remembered to cast a silencing charm around us or the entire castle might have heard.

"One more chance," Sirius said. "Have you or have you not seen this piece of parchment before?"

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR-"

"Wrong answer." James muttered a few words, and MacDougal suddenly shook.

I blinked a few times, and my mouth formed a grimace.

James glanced at me. "Don't worry. It's just a tickling spell."

But it wasn't just a tickling spell. It was a tickling spell used on someone who was bound to a chair, blindfolded, scared and threatened. It was psychological torture and that was seriously not okay.

"We have to stop doing this now."

"Lily-"

"No, James. It's wrong and horrible, and it doesn't matter who is at the opposite end."

"This is the last time we're ever doing anything like this, and I'm sorry but we can't back out now."

"Okay," I said, making a silent treaty with myself about putting on a bold face, and bearing with the entire ordeal.

Sirius looked at us, probably unaware of the conversation we just had. "The bloke isn't budging."

"Well, what should we do?" I said.

James turned his attention to Ethan. "Okay, then. When was the last time you've seen Hollice Bumpott?"

His head shot up upon hearing the name. "Holly?"

"Yes," Sirius prodded.

I expected Ethan to look frightened, angry, a bit surprised, even; anything but the unconcerned expression that appeared on his face. Well, not quite unconcerned—more like he was wondering why she'd been suddenly brought up.

"What about her?" he asked.

"Don't act innocent with me."

"What in Godric's name are you talking about?" he replied.

"I know you participate in Hollice Bumpott's scheming. Whatever she's got against us, or him," I struck my finger at James's chest, "should stay between us—or between them... Agreed?"

Ethan tried to get out of the ropes instead of answering me. It was great to know how terrifying I was and how convincing my threats were.

James jabbed his wand at his neck. "Careful, there, mate."

"I know what she's doing," I continued, trying to at least look confident, "If you—"

"HELP ME! SOMEBODY! I'M BEING HELD BY THREE BLOODY LUNATICS! SOMEBODY!"

"Oi!" Sirius said, "Stop that!"

The silencing charm ensured that nobody would be able to hear us, but Ethan MacDougal's deafening screams were still a pain in the arse.

James cast another tickling spell, effectively shutting him up.

"Right," I said. "When do you intend to tell us why Holly—"

He interrupted me, not ready to calm down yet. "I have no fucking idea what you mad goons are talking about! I haven't been dating Holly sodding Bumpott for a year!"

"You—_what_? You're lying," I said in a flat tone. Of course he was.

"Give me Veritaserum. Go on, I dare you," he said.

"If we had any," Sirius said an undertone.

James went beside me, saying in a low voice, "I think we can lay off him, Lily."

I nodded, observing Ethan. "Merlin, I hope Holly won't be that unreasonable."

This was definitely one of the hardest things I ever had to do- kidnapping someone and determining when I had be severe and when to stop.

I glanced nervously at the other body that lay in a corner of the room while Sirius and James cast the memory charm on Ethan MacDougal. Hollice Bumpott was next.

* * *

A/n: As always, thanks for reading. Next chapter might be delayed again since I can't start writing it until my beta can help me work out the dialogue and plot... I also have Quarterly exams this month, but I will try to get it done during Christmas break.

Also, just something I feel proud about, I joined this copyreading contest and reached the regional level! Sadly, I only won 5th place, and you need to be 3rd to get into the nationals. On the other hand, I can't believe I beat 55 winners (you'd have to win either once or twice to get into the regionals) from different provinces and cities! Oh well, I still have a year, and I'll make sure I get it the next time around.

Last thing, I'm really, really nervous about this exclusive summer program that picks the top 70 students of the entire country... I really want to get in. It's been my dream school since 5th grade, and I just... want it badly. My brother's gotten in last year (amazingly) and that adds to the pressure. I'd appreciate encouraging words... anything to boost my confidence. PLEASE. I swear I won't get cocky. So please message me or review... you've guys understand, right?

xx

El Pads


	9. Kidnapping Gone Wrong

James POV

I watched the hostage, thinking of how to begin the interrogation session, or whatever it was called. The witch was tied to the chair and looking at her tentatively, I tried to recall what had possessed me to ask her out two years ago. It was certainly not her personality, because while sassy and suave, Hollice Bumpott didn't possess any special quirks or traits that I found particularly endearing—not the way Lily's aggressive behavior did. It was probably her looks, I decided, that won me over because curly blonde hair and a shapely body at the age of fifteen can do a lot to a bloke. I couldn't really remember much of what had happened between the two of us. In fact, a lot of the happenings a few years ago seemed kind of distant and blurry.

"Hullo."

"James," Lily said, standing next to me. "Remember what I told you about not being-"

"Too harsh, yes. Now, Bumpott, first of all, you're dreaming."

Sirius and Lily gave me odd looks, but neither of them said anything, which I took as a cue to go on.

"You're dreaming," I continued. "Everything is happening inside your head and that's why you can be totally honest with us."

A quick snort came from Sirius, who was trying to stifle his laughter, while Lily wore a dubious expression. If I didn't notice their reactions, I'd still have been marveling at what I thought was one of the cleverest things I'd ever thought up.

"I have a first name, and I'd appreciate it if you used it."

"We get to set the terms here."

Bumpott grinned. "Isn't this my dream?"

_Excuse… excuse… must think of…_

"Trying to control it will wake you up. Trust me, I'm… in your head," I said smoothly. It would have to do for now.

Sirius was still gawking at me, but with big, puppy eyes and a pout he'd perfected since he started becoming an animangus. Not wanting to see the odd shrewish look on his face, I nodded and let him lead the conversation.

"First question; what's your full name?" he asked, looking as though he could kiss me right then and there.

"I don't see how her full name is relevant," Lily said, her eyebrows crinkling.

"It makes this more formal. Play along, Evans."

"Erm… sure, Padfoot. What's your name?" she asked—and her use of Sirius's nickname didn't go unnoticed by either of us- turning to Bumpott.

"My full name is Hollice Bumpott, if you must know. Hollice for Holly and Alice. Where am I? And why are your heads covered in those paper bags?"

"Stop asking questions."

"Why isn't she nervous? She can't possibly believe what you're telling her," Lily told me in a low voice.

"Dunno…" I mumbled back. A thought popped into my head, but I didn't voice it out. She might've been acting this way because we weren't cruel enough, but it was a very Slytherin thing to say, and I was sure Lily wouldn't approve.

"It's not that I'd want her to be scared, but I didn't think she'd be this calm, either."

"Second question," said Sirius. "Do you have any plans next week? Fancy a drink at The Three Broomsticks?"

I looked at him, annoyed. "Not now, Padfoot." Then, turning my attention back to the figure before us, "Look, Hollice, you recognize this?" I said, lifting the threatening note.

"That's a piece of parchment."

Sirius smirked and poked my arm, talking in a volume only I could hear. "She isn't the brightest person if you ask me." Making his voice a little louder, "He meant what's _in_ the parchment."

"No idea," she answered confidently. "More importantly, you're James, Black, and Evans, aren't you?"

"What? Of course not!" Lily said sharply, looking a bit taken aback.

I coughed. "What gives you that idea?"

Sirius caught my eye and raised an eyebrow. "I think I underestimated her quite a bit."

"Heh. I think you did, mate."

"You should've used a pitching spell. Didn't think I was smart enough to distinguish your voices, did you?"

"First of all—"

"Suppose not." I shrugged. "And I thought we were the cheeky ones."

Lily's mouth dropped open, and she glared at me. "James!"

"Lay off, Evans. We're busted," Sirius said.

"I'm impressed actually."

"I recognized James's voice right away." Bumpott was looking steadily at me.

"_Of course _you did," Lily said in a tone that was almost scornful.

I took out the paper bag that covered my head, and fixed my hair a bit. "Of course she did. I guess we wouldn't need these anymore."

"Why wasn't Remus here to point that out?" Sirius asked to no one in particular while Lily and he followed my lead and removed the head covers.

I'd almost forgotten about Bumpott, but she let out a little cough, and we all looked at her again.

"I have to say, apart from all the things you failed at, this was quite a fun kidnapping. Although... James, babe?" Lily's head shot up at the endearment. I had the grace to look a bit uncomfortable when I said, "Yes?"

"I fear your skills have deteriorated a bit. Maybe you should spend less time with little miss Prefect and more with people who are more... how do you say it... fun? You can do a lot better than this."

It wasn't clear whether she was referring to the kidnapping or Lily, but it was enough to make me glower. My insides curled, and really, no matter how good it was for my ego, anything against Lily automatically pissed me off.

Lily shrugged, as if the insult had little effect on her. "It's okay, James. No harm done." However, her eyes got noticeably stiffer when she turned to Bumpott. "You need to watch your mouth."

"Ooh. I'm terrified. The red hair screams ferocious, save me."

She coloured and bit her lip irritably.

Hollice Bumpott was definitely going to get it now. While it was a milder insult, she shouldn't have said it. Moreover, I knew more than anyone why making fun of Lily's hair was never a good idea.

"Ooh!" Sirius clasped his fists excitedly. "A chick fight. I haven't seen one of these in ages."

Lily looked at Sirius, her mouth forming into a thin line. "This is not a chick fight. As for you, Bumpott, I'm trying to be nice, which getting harder by the second."

"Who said I needed your sympathy?"

Sirius chuckled. "Hon, you'll be needing all the—"

"Destroy that photo, now!" I interrupted impulsively, before any real fight could occur.

Bumpott glanced at me, and in a sudden pseudo-sweet voice, "What photograph are you talking about, James, dear? We exchanged quite a lot of them in the past, hadn't we?"

Sirius coughed, trying to suppress yet another girly laugh. "Ah, such inappropriate thoughts those sentences conjure."

Lily made a slight hissing sound, which placed me in a guarded state.

"Emphasis on the past," I said. "And if I recall correctly, we had one picture, and it was taken only because you were Zonko's Hundredth customer of the day."

"I find that hard to believe," Lily muttered.

Sensing that she wasn't in the best of moods, I chose the best route to take- ignoring the little side-comments from either side and not making a big deal of things.

"We have more pictures and you know it," Bumpott said to me, one eyebrow raised coquettishly. "Who knows, maybe you'll look at them later, remembering what it was like to have an actually interesting girlfriend instead of…" She let her eye trail to my left. "…others."

Lily seemed even more upset by _that_ than the thing about her hair. "There is nothing wrong with being single and hanging out with—"

"Well," Bumpott said, "your self-righteousness is very becoming! Do believe me when I say I truly appreciate it."

It was at this point in which Lily snapped; her hands reaching to pull at her hair. "What do you have against me? Are you really so desperate as to resort to those threats? That you had to follow us around and fabricate lies-"

"I did no such thing!"

"Really," Lily retorted. She seemed to have forgotten about her manners and earlier assertions about treating our hostages. "Don't act dumb with me. Remove all evidence of that inaccurate accusation, and leave us alone or-"

"What, you'll tell Professor McGonagall?" Bumpott laughed in a lighthearted manner than was even more offensive than the words themselves. "Turn the entire school against me? Well, I'd hate to disappoint but you aren't going to find anything."

"Honestly, Hollice… Don't you have anything better to do? This isn't going to end if you keep-"

"But this _is_ my dream, isn't it?"

I looked at her exasperatedly. "You want to play that game, do you, now?"

Then, all of a sudden, the woman flashed a brilliant smile at me and said, "I'd play any game with you."

Surprised and confused, I didn't know what to say, or how to react for that matter. It took a few uncomfortable seconds before I could think of a proper response. "I daresay I am a very fun person, but that's not what I meant."

"What _did_ you mean? Quidditch, perhaps?" she said, surprising me yet again and smiling slyly.

Because I couldn't ever be apathetic to the greatest sport in the world, I really didn't have any choice but to pursue the topic. "What about Quidditch?"

"They say Thomas Cleavley could take you out if he wanted to."

"Cleavley? Not with my state of the art broomstick—which, I'll add, is the finest, most exotic wooden example of speed, beauty and masculinity. Let's not even start on skill level," I said, more to my wounded pride than to anyone else. Also, anything to shut Sirius up, who was laughing obnoxiously when that Thomas bloke was mentioned.

Still grinning, Bumpott said, "Could I give it a go? I'd want to test it out."

I raised an eyebrow. "Cheeky bird, you. I didn't know you were interested in Quidditch," and unable to suppress it, I grinned back.

"I'm interested, all right. Can I use it?"

Quidditch tactics kicking in, I thought for a second. There was a vacant slot at the Gryffindor Quidditch Team and if there was the slightest chance that Hollice Bumpott was any good in catching balls, I was going to take it.

"My broomstick? Only on Thursday, I guess. I've got Quidditch practice scheduled on other days... _what_ are we talking about?" I should have been forcing her to destroy every living copy of the photo that so haunted Lily my love, but here I was chatting about my interests and forgetting what I was supposed to be doing. I looked at Lily guiltily; she did not look pleased.

Bumpott, meanwhile, didn't seem to have heard my last statement. "Have it ready by Thursday. I'll be at the... where should I get it?"

"You're impossible!" Lily cried; hands crossed over her chest.

"I'm sor—"

"These two here," Sirius said, "Are the perfect examples of why denial isn't going to get you anywhere… babe…"

I wanted to bang my head on the table. _Not this again_… That bastard was going to get me into a great deal of trouble someday.

Lily seemed to feel the same way, and I didn't know if I liked it or not. "For the love of Merlin! Why does every single person I know have to think that James and I are in love with each other?"

"And Sirius, stop hitting on the hostage," I added, even though I knew that he was used to mindless flirting, and therefore very careless when it came to things like that. He usually meant them as jokes and failed to notice that the opposite gender misunderstood his intentions."

Lily scowled at me. "What are you talking about, James? Didn't you just?"

"Pardon?"

Making a sophisticated motion with his hands, Sirius attempted to shove his ideas down our throats again. "Ah, love."

"Lily and James? In love?" Bumpott said, laughing. "I don't think—"

"No one asked for your opinion, you..." At the last moment, Lily held herself back.

"And who's hitting on whom now?"

"Untie me, James."

I was about to reply but Lily beat me to it. "You're ridiculous."

"Yeah," I said.

"You all are."

"Oh."

"And you're jealous," Bumpott said.

"_Me_? Not at all."

"Is that a defensive tone I pick up?"

"_What are you talking about_?" Lily's voice cracked mid-sentence, and it would've been really comical if we weren't talking about such a sensitive topic. Cross that; the delicate subject of all delicate subjects.

"So Miss Evans doesn't like it very much when other women talk to James, does she?"

_CODE RED. CODE RED. CODE RED._

"That's rubbish!"

Sirius laughed. "She means to say that it's perfectly true. You couldn't have come any closer to the truth."

I caught a sudden defensive impulse when I noticed how uncomfortable they were making her... and me, but mostly her. "Hey... stop ganging up on Lily."

"Cue in Romeo."

"Jamesie, Jamesie, where art thou-"

Bumpott was abruptly cut off when Lily raised her wand at pointed it at her threateningly. Sirius stopped mocking too, and for the hundredth time in my life, I witnessed Lily Evans demonstrate her superior prowess at shutting idiots up.

However, she was noticeably red-faced. Her hair was all messy and tangled, and her eyes were furious- but in a brilliant way if that made any sense. Taking a deep breath, she said, "I've just about had it with you, Holly. I'm leaving."

Lily lowered her wand and turned around dramatically, snapping the three of us out of the trance we were in.

"Evans!" Sirius cried while I followed her to the door.

"Lily, hey," I said, but of my attempts at persuasion failed miserably.

"No. I've been insulted enough times. Just finish this interrogation, get the data you need, and tell me about it in the morning. I'm done with this kidnapping business. I knew it wasn't a good idea from the start. And don't you dare follow me." She jabbed her wand at my throat and turned away.

"I'll see you at the Great Hall."

"Sure," she replied in a hollow tone.

I walked back into the room, ready to give them hell for making her go away, but was hit by a paralyzing stun as soon as I entered- ironically the same spell I used on the first year a while ago.

It lasted for a good five minutes; I was effectively tied to the chair by the time it ended... next to good ol' Sirius Black.

Hollice Bumpott took a step towards me and ruffled my hair much to my chagrin. "Bye lovelies. This was fun. And James?" She wretched my chin up and forced me to look at her. "We really must get reacquainted."

Then, the barmy witch dashed off, leaving Sirius and me alone in the room.

"How did you do it this time?"

Also tied to a chair and his back turned to me, he fidgeted in the seat. "Don't ask."

"If you don't tell me, I will tell Wormtail of that time you thought you might be gay because you thought his booty was fly."

"She tricked me. That is all."

"Padfoot."

"All I have to say is that _that _woman has long fingernails, and I am never hitting on her ever again."

Silence.

"So... know how to get us out?"

"Well, my wand is over there," Sirius said, pointing to the floor. He bent over and reached for it, accidentally rubbing his rear end with mine.

"Hey! Hey! Watch where you're moving that thing of yours."

"I can't help it if my arse is humongous. I mean, at least- AARGH!"

We landed on the floor with a loud thud, both still tied to the chair. Bodies bent at an awkward angle, our faces went down first, and our backsides followed thereafter.

"I hate you."

"My pleasure, mate."

* * *

A few hours and an extremely sore body later, I was at the Common Room, looking for Hollice Bumpott's dot on the Marauder's map. I had to find her before she could rat us out and land us in even more trouble. Besides, Lily would throw herself off the astronomy tower and take me with her if she found out about Bumpott's little stunt with us.

"Bumpott… Bumpott… Bumpott… Where the bloody hell are you?"

"Right here, sweetums."

I glanced up sharply, trying to know where the familiar voice came from even though I'd been checking around the area and was certain that she wasn't there.

I scanned the map again, but there was still no sign of her dot anywhere.

So where did the sound come from?

"Right…" her voice said "I've installed one of Zonko's spyware packs somewhere over there and I can see and hear you right now, you know."

_Merlin, this girl was good._

"Where are you?"

"Not there, I assure you."

"When I find where you're hiding, you won't even—"

"Now, now, James. That's not why I came to talk to you… from a distance, but still. If you look to your left and remove the pillow, you'll see a neat little box full of chocolates prepared just for you."

I did what she told me, and sure enough, the package was there. "You want me to eat these, don't you?"

"Well, yes. They're just chocolates, don't worry—"

"Don't take me for an idiot. What makes you think I'm going to do what you say?"

"I… I'm going to tell Professor McGonagall about what you did to me if you don't."

"What makes you think—"

"I'm giving you ten seconds."

"Hollice!"

"Nine... Eight… Seven..."

"Hey. You little-"

"Six… Five… Four…"

Having no choice but to submit to her demands, I closed my eyes, whispered my prayers, and placed a handful of chocolates into my mouth.

Then, I felt everything.

* * *

A/n: Oh, look! A chapter! Horay for a totally cliche ending/cliffhanger right there. I shall replace it sometime in the future when I find a more appropriate sentence. Anyway, I passed the top 75 students summer program thing I was talking about! Thanks to everyone who messaged me. AAAAH

Also, I don't think I got to announce it so... remember when Lily promised to take James to a Muggle restaurant and let him try cola/soda sometime in the future? There's a fic for that. Yes, a fanfic! It's called 'Soda Drunk' and it happens as soon as they start dating so go to my profile and check it out.

Chapter 9 is when the real stuff happens, so stay tuned. **Teaser:** 'I was beginning to see sense in what Marlene had been telling me all along.'

As always, thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review!

-El Padfoot


	10. The Walkout

Lily POV

The day started out normally enough. Against my will, I had woke up a bit too early on a school day. Marlene and my other roommates were still asleep (which wasn't really surprising since the sun had barely risen), and so I was left to my own devices to find any plausible way to spend the extra hours before breakfast.

_What better way to start a day than to prepare a good ol' cup of hot cocoa?_

I took out my favourite mug and stirred in the powder; sitting on the floor, and leaning on the edge of my bed. The hot cocoa, dim lighting of the room, and the synchronized snoring of my roommates had created a very contemplative atmosphere. I allowed myself to get lost in thought which inadvertently led to thinking about Severus.

I missed him. I realized that I wouldn't ever be able look at him without getting that stabbed feeling in the heart. Things had got so bitter between us towards the end, and I knew that there wasn't any possibility of reconciliation, especially not after I sealed the deal by seeking a friendship with James.

No matter how much I wished it, Severus wouldn't change back to the kind, understanding person I had met at the park several years ago. When it came down to it, he'd choose his Slytherin friends over me. I, in turn, wouldn't ever be able to look at him without hearing the word 'Mudblood' play in my head over and over.

James, meanwhile, was another matter that drove me to no ends. Yesterday, for example, he had been all for the kidnapping and mild torture of a child; I wasn't quite ready to let it slide. He had looked and sounded heartless- a complete prick by every definition. But why would I have been friends with him if he really had been such a jerk? James _had_ been really charming and wonderful at times, and some days he seemed perfect. It was this side of him that had often left me bewildered. If only he were consistent! It was hard to keep up with James's personality, and every time I'd thought I understood him, well, things like _this_ happened.

Funny how quickly things can change when given the chance. The irony of James and Severus's role-reversals wasn't lost on me; I finished my cup of hot cocoa and stowed away my thoughts.

In the meantime, I settled on taking an early bath and doing a bit of homework until my roommates woke up.

Emmeline Vance, who was the first to do so, interrupted me from my Transfiguration essay.

"You're up awfully early," she said, yawning.

I grinned at her and shrugged. "You know what they say... the early bird catches the worm."

She laughed lightly. "What?"

"Nothing."

After a bit of stretching, she got up from her bed and walked over to mine. "I'm guessing that's one of your weird Muggle idioms... isn't that essay due next week?"

"Maybe..."

"Merlin, Lily. This is early, even for you."

"Hush now, Emma. You have your habits; I have mine."

"Fair enough," she said after a second of consideration. Taking a few clothes from her bunk, Emmeline proceeded to the shower. "Still, Lily... that's freaky."

"At least I'm not a yellow-leaf vegetarian!" I said as she went inside.

"Ha!" she yelled. "Very funny. I'll have you know we take these things very seriously."

As soon as Marlene got up, I rushed her into taking a bath and dragged her to breakfast.

"You're in a rush today," she told me sleepily. It was funny how her inextinguishable energy hadn't kicked in yet.

"I'm hungry."

In truth, I was extremely full, but Marlene couldn't know that looking for James was what got me in a hurry. She wouldn't let me hear the end of it. I looked around, trying to find a mop of dark, messy hair, but to no avail. Minutes later, Remus and Peter entered the hall, but the two other marauders weren't with them.

"Who're you looking for?" Marlene asked, poking me with her fork.

I yawned, having regrets about waking up so early. "Nobody."

After Breakfast, we proceeded to the first class of the day- Ancient Runes. I sat at my usual place. Marlene, who was two seats my right, was bored out of her guts. So was I, but I preferred not to show it. Maybe Ancient Runes really was a boring subject by nature or the absence of two Marauders and therefore the lack of whispering and mischief made the class more droning than it usually was.

I tapped the desk impatiently, feeling every dull second that passed. Time seemed to move really slow.

Then, James and Remus appeared at the doorway and suddenly Ancient Runes was not so boring anymore. But that was probably only because I had a job to do, a task to complete.

Professor Babbling looked at them reprovingly. "Well, aren't you two early. I'd expect this from Potter, but it's quite a shock and disappointment to see Lupin corrupted by his antics."

"Sorry, Sir," Remus said. "Had to drag James from bed."

"Moony!"

"Alright. However, if I ever catch you late for this class again..."

"Don't worry, sir. It won't happen."

Professor Babbling nodded and continued flashing images on the board, unaware that only a few people were paying attention to him.

"Honestly, Moony," I heard James say since the Marauders were only a few seats behind me. "I think it's unfair how every teacher doesn't mind you kissing up to them while I have to-"

"Shut up," Remus said. "You've got me in enough trouble as it is... and I still don't know what's wrong with you."

_Wrong with James?_

I waited until Remus hushed him up, and then sent a note to him.

_Where were you this morning? -L_

**Wasn't able to eat breakfast.**

_Why not?_

**Dunno, I didn't feel like eating. Why is it you asked?**

_You were supposed to tell me about what happened yesterday._

**Oh.**

_Well?_

**Bugger, I must have forgotten. I'll tell you this lunch.**

_Make sure you do._

I noticed the long intervals it took before he returned my notes, which was suspicious because James always replied to me immediately.

_Don't you forget about it._

**Have you seen Holly?**

_Hollice Bumpott?_ I had to admit, James looking for her caught me off guard. Maybe there really _was_ something off about him today. I looked around, but she wasn't at her seat or anywhere in the room for that matter.

_No, I haven't... why?_

**No reason.**

_Don't you dare forget._

**This lunch, I promise.**

"And that will be all for today. We'll have a quiz next meeting."

I picked up my things and proceeded to the Muggle Studies classroom with Mary Macdonald. Only a few of my friends continued taking Muggle Studies after Fifth Year, and none of these people included the Marauders, which meant that I had to wait for another hour before I could talk to James.

_Sigh_.

* * *

I walked to the Great Hall as soon the class ended. Taking my usual seat, I waited for him to come. After a while, someone tapped my shoulder, and I thought that I could finally, _finally_ find out the details of yesterday's kidnapping. However, it was Sirius and not James who took the seat next to mine. He looked slightly frustrated; his eye twitching as he ate his food quickly.

"Hi Lily, Hewitt."

"I don't mean to be rude, Black," Marlene said, trying to pick a pea with her fork, "But what are you doing here?"

"Well, there wasn't enough space at ours because my bloody seat was taken."

He motioned to the front, where Remus, Peter, and James sat, and sure enough, someone else had taken his seat.

_Hollice Bumpott._

"Dunno what's wrong with Prongs today. Couldn't stop talking about Bumpott... Honestly, she's hot, I get that but-"

"What did he say about her?" Marlene asked, interested in all matters that didn't concern her.

Sirius's lip curved upward enigmatically. "Things..."

"And did James say anything else?" I asked.

"None that I know of."

"I see," I said, trying not to let my disappointment show.

I could sense Marlene looking intently at me, but I ignored her and continued eating my food.

"What?"

She raised her eyebrows and gave me a knowing look. "Nothing..."

After lunch, we proceeded to Potions- everyone's favourite subject. I paired up with Marlene, and we began our usual routine- prattling while the potion was brewing. It was a system developed over the years that proved to work magnificently for us.

"I'll crush the Bezoar; you chop."

Marlene followed without complaint, which was very uncharacteristic of her. She usually accused me of assigning the harder jobs to her, even though we both knew it wasn't true. I continued crushing the ingredient, conscious of the fact that she was observing me very keenly.

"Lily, you're sulking."

"Huh?"

"There must be something I don't know of."

I dropped both ingredients into the cauldron. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," she said, taking an herb and squeezing the liquid out, "What went on at the lunch table with Sirius? I know that look you get when you're upset."

"It isn't really important. James promised to tell me something but he forgot. And it gets on my nerves that he keeps forgetting every single thing, you know?"

"Oh... I get it."

I stirred the potion, nodding.

Marlene smiled slightly."You're jealous."

The conversation felt familiar. "What gives you that idea?"

She took a deep breath and put down the knife. "Look, Lily. You like him. No point in denying it. I'm your best mate, and I can sense things. I am trying to help you out here."

"I'm not in the mood, Marlene," I replied in a sing-song voice.

"Only because you're starting to accept what I've told you for months- that you and Potter _are _meant-"

I turned the temperature up. "Don't you ever get tired of that?"

Being the dramatic person that she was, Marlene gave me an offended look, saying, "Don't _you_ ever get tired of that?" and proceeded to walk out of the classroom in the middle of a discussion without the Professor's notice.

I watched her shadow, wondering what she'd be doing for the next half-hour or so.

* * *

The final class for that day was Defense Against the Dark Arts. It was the one subject everyone had to take because of the current issues and all. I went inside after looking for Marlene and scolded her for making me finish the potion all by myself.

James entered the room with the Marauders and Hollice, who stood too close to him for my liking. Nevertheless, I didn't let the sight of them together discourage me from my goal. I knew I could pester James as much as I wanted to because he sat beside me in DADA, even if Hollice took the other seat beside him instead of Remus.

For the first quarter of the lesson, I tried to listen to the Professor, but James and Hollice kept diverting my attention. Unintentionally, but still. He kept whispering things into her ear and vice versa. Everyone else seemed affected by their odd antics. I felt the familiar rumbling in my stomach again. It was like a rapid, sinking sensation. Whatever it was, it didn't feel good.

"James."

He continued talking to Hollice as though he didn't hear me, but I knew better.

"Potter."

No reaction.

"James Potter. _Psst_. James."

He turned his head swiftly, looking annoyed. "Bloody hell! What do you want?" Then, noticing that it was me, "Oh... Lily?"

I raised an eyebrow, expecting him to realize the obvious.

James didn't. He merely shrugged and went back to talking to Hollice.

"Today, we are going back to the basics," Professor Maximus announced, oblivious to the lovebirds in front of him. "Not exactly the basics, but we'll be working on sharpening our wizard battling skills. I want you to pair up, then take turns on practicing counter-jinxes, defensive charms, and nonverbal spells. That determines your grade for today."

"Lily," Remus said, walking towards me. "James ditched me as a partner, so if you don't mind..."

"Of course I don't."

We started duelling, but my heart wasn't in it. I was sure Remus noticed, because he barely sent jinxes at me. I had to talk to James before the class ended, seeing as I might not get the chance after dinner. I sneaked glances at him every once in a while, feeling my stomach contract every time. It was irritating, really- how he deliberately aimed all his spells wrong and apologized for being 'bullocks at dueling.' Or how he seemed to be having such a great time, completely forgetting his more important responsibilities. Most of all, I hated how he looked like he didn't care about me or the problem anymore.

"Lily?" Remus said, momentarily interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"You seem to be deep in thought."

"Hmm?"

"Lily?" He waved a hand in front of me.

"Wha? _Oh_. I'm sorry, Remus. I just... I don't know what I need," I said, trying to explain myself. "I need details. I mean, he can't just _do_ that and go on his merry way. As if-"

"What are you talking about?"

"He can't just forget about his duties! He's supposed to be telling _me_ about what happened."

"Er..."

"And isn't _that_ considered fraternizing with the enemy?" I threw my hands up in the air.

"Lily Evans."

"Well, I am going to break his nose and wipe that ridiculous grin off his face if he doesn't-"

"Calm down!"

"JAMES POTTER!"

He was still aiming misdirected spells at Hollice and flirting with her, while the professor didn't seem to notice at all.

James looked at me, surprised. "Yes?"

I noticed a bunch of people glancing at me curiously, so I lowered my voice. "You need to sort out your priorities."

"What do you mean?" he asked. He whispered something to Holly yet again, glanced at me, then smiled wider.

"Where were you? You were supposed to meet me this lunch."

"Hi, Lily," Hollice said with an equally vexing smile plastered on her face.

"We were?" James asked.

"Yes, we were."

"Must have slipped my mind, sorry," he said, scratching his head. "Look, Lily, I'm a bit busy right now... I'll get back to you later."

He turned around and was going to walk away, but I didn't let him. Gripping his shoulder, I made him face me again.

"Potter."

I couldn't take it anymore.

"Lily," he said, exasperated, even going so far as to ruffle my hair. "I thought I'd made it perfectly clear when-"

_SMACK! _My fist collided with his face, and the entire room was in chaos before I knew it. Marlene was laughing hysterically, Sirius howled widely, some Ravenclaws hooted, and Professor Maximus stood there, not knowing what to say.

And copying my best friend's dramatic show earlier, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the room.

* * *

I spent that evening in the Common Room with James Potter's best mates, ironically enough.

"How's James?" I said, keeping my expression neutral. "I heard he got sent to the hospital wing."

Remus, who was watching Sirius and Peter play Wizard Chess, gave me a sly look. "He did. Nurse says he'll stay knocked out until tomorrow. Great job, Lily!"

"I must say, that was some nifty whacking you did back there," Sirius said, also grinning. He threw his fist into the air in an attempt to replicate my act and accidentally knocked over the entire Chessboard.

"You cheat. I was winning!" Peter cried.

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius. "You berk."

"S'rry about James," I muttered as I helped them pick up the fallen chess pieces. "I don't think straight sometimes."

"Well, your anger does get the best of you often, but I don't blame you, Lily. You're a ginger. You're a soulless being with a heart more wretched than those awful Dementors so I doubt-"

Peter threw a chess piece at him.

Rubbing his head, Sirius glared at him. "That hurt. Anyway, Lily. I'm fine with your occasional spouts of anger... anything that can snap Prongs out of it when he's acting like a real, as you say, toerag, eh?"

"What got you so mad anyway?" Remus said.

"I... well, James should have told me about what happened after I left yesterday, but he kept putting it off without a valid reason, so I snapped." I smiled and let out a nervous laugh.

Remus chuckled. "You could have waited."

"Not really."

He looked at me curiously, so I felt the need defend myself. "The sooner we close this case, the better, don't you reckon?"

"Are you still resolutely against the photo being released to the public?"

"Well... yeah."

"James doesn't seem to mind, though."

"Of course he minds!"

"You seem to be making a big deal out of it," Sirius muttered loud enough for me to hear.

"Have _you _seen the picture?"

"Yes, and it isn't that bad. A lot of girls would kill to be in your shoes, you know."

"Exactly. It gives people the wrong impression of me. My reputation will be-"

"Going out with Prongs isn't half bad... and to think I'd thought you'd gotten over that stage. He's a very datable person, I'm not going to lie."

Remus raised his eyebrow at Sirius and smirked.

"Stop that, you wanker!" Sirius said, giving a sly smile.

"It isn't the dating him bit that bugs me," I said. Well, maybe it was but for completely different reasons. "James is brilliant and amazing, but... not really." I fervently hoped that they couldn't see through the blatant lie.

"I have trouble believing that, what with the way you two have been acting around each other."

"That's… friendly!"

Sirius looked at me skeptically. "You're a very clever person, Lily. Convince me."

Not having thought of a proper response, I could only stare back at him.

"On a lighter note, I have homework to do," he said. Attempting to copy my earlier act of dramatics, he walked away.

"Homework?" I said to Remus, eyebrows raised.

"Probably not. I think he's become a huge fan since you punched James."

"Well, Remus, do you have anything you'd like to say? Planning to walk out too?"

"Not really... I just think you need to sort out your feelings, that's all."

"Thanks."

Much later that evening, whilst recounting the day's events to myself, I was forced to face an awful, unnerving truth- I was healthy. Fresh; Vigorous; In good shape. I hadn't eaten anything that might have caused any sickness, and I wasn't psychologically troubled, either. I was perfectly fine... so why did my stomach feel jumpy at times?

Somehow, I already knew the answer. It was something else entirely, and that scared me a lot. I was beginning to see sense in what everyone had been telling me all along.

* * *

A/n: I'm sure everyone can guess what happened to James. No surprise there. Don't forget to Review Review Review! Nothing else to say, I guess. Stay tuned for the next chapter!

-El Padfoot


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